


Kame

by Citrus_Luver



Series: Kame [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Attempted Murder, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Character Death, Childbirth, Dolls, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up, Implied Mind Rape, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Memory Loss, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Not Happy, Past Child Abuse, Personal Growth, Physical Abuse, Sennen Items | Millennium Items, Suicidal Thoughts, Unrequited Love, Yami no Game | Shadow Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-11
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-01-18 23:20:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 78,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1446568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Citrus_Luver/pseuds/Citrus_Luver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a season of miracles, a young boy is given a strange Christmas gift by his grandfather, a doll. Having no friends, the boy finds comfort and protection in the inanimate until one day on his sixteenth birthday. His parents die in a cave-in on an archeology dig which leaves him alone in this world with a grandfather who is too busy and never home. He turns back to his childhood friend only this time to find something more, something that society frowns upon.  After all, is love possible for such an untimely couple?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mou Hitori no Boku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm archiving old works. This fic is not WIP. It has already been completed. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh!

Beautiful sparkling candles adorned the interior of a dazzling two-story house. A single lone wreath, glistened in the moonlight, hung from a single nail. Colorful rainbow rings wrapped around the frost bitten windows. A beautiful Christmas tree glistened in the center. Paper angel clippings, dusted in glitter, hang from the branches. A beautiful wood bound star was placed at the very top. A few scattered presents bound in paper were littered at the base of the tree. One could tell quite readily that the owners of such a house weren't rich, yet for such a holiday, a time of miracles, all could be sacrificed. Yet, something was missing from such a scene, the laughter of children and the warmth of family.

None was present. Actually, the family wasn't home. They were forced to spend another holiday at the local hospital with their son. The bright young boy was born with a weak heart. Which was ironic considering his heart was filled with more love and kindness than that of the strongest beating ones. His words rang like bells. His face glistened like the holy glow of angels. Yet, not many witnessed such a face, such joy. He spent the majority of his life at the hospital. He was home schooled by the tutors at the hospital. He rarely made any friends, only the ones at the hospital, but they rarely stayed. One minute they were there and the next gone.

As a result, toys became his friends and his companions. A puzzle here, a stuffed animal there, they could never leave him. After all how could they?

There he sat on a hospital bed, IV tubes pricked into his pale skin. The white flock he wore glowed brightly, which intensified his flawlessly white skin. A bright red scarf wound around his neck, handmade by his mother who sat beside him. Her auburn hair nested against him, a smile upon her face. A young man, the boy's father, had a wide grin upon his face. A coffee mug balanced upon his hip as he leaned against his son's bed. The boy's burning amethyst eyes glowed. A perplexed look appeared upon his face. His eyes scanned the hallway before him. The minute hand ticked by softly. His eyes clouded over. Was he coming?

The town clock in the distance stuck ten. As the last dong was emitted throughout the air, a shadow overtook the room. A smile appeared on the boy's face.

"Jii-chan!" He shouted. The boy's father immediately looked up shortly followed by his mother.

"Otousan, do not do that to us again! Do you know how much worry you caused Yuugi here?"

"Gomen, gomen!" The newly appeared figure chuckled, letting out a heartily laugh. "Arthur caught me at the last second. He wanted to run the facts over with me again. It took me forever to get him to let me go." The young couple sighed. Hopkins was a workaholic. There was no doubt about that. His dream of finding a portal to other galaxies through ancient civilizations was almost present in his mind.

The elder man's smile widened as he walked closer before leaning down in front of the young boy. One hand was held behind his back as he ruffled the boy's bangs, yet the younger was fixated on the arm that his grandfather was concealing behind his back to notice.

"What’s that?" The younger inquired.

"Yuugi!" The young mother gasped, horrified at her son's manners.

"Leave him be, Akina. The boy has a right to be curious." The elder stated. A chuckle left his lips as he spoke. The young mother let out a small pout as the elder sat down, brushing against the younger. "Now Yuugi, are ready for your Christmas present?"

The boy's mouth immediately widened. A grin appeared upon his face. "Hai! Hai! He shouted bouncing on the bed. His dainty hands clapped happily.

"Close your eyes!"

The boy immediately obeyed as the elder pulled out a medium size box wrapped in gold wrapping paper. The young boy bit his lips as he touched the soft, smooth paper. He ran his hands through it. "Open it, boy."

The boy nodded. He looked up at his elders at if asking for permission. His mother simply nodded as he tore open the present only to be met with a beautiful golden box. Upon the box were strange engravings. On the top was an ancient, powerful symbol.

"Okaasan. Otousan. It looks just like that box… that… that… you found!" Yuugi stated happily as he ran is hands over the lid, intrigued by the item.

"Yes it does." Yuugi’s father stated perplexed before looking up at his father's gleaming face. "Otousan, what is the meaning of this?"

The elder looked up. "Oh. Don't be alarmed Mitsu. Let the boy open his gift. Go on Yuugi." The elder urged. The boy immediately nodded, for a second a little worried that his parents might take away his present. His fingers ran through the lid once more. A smoothing, warm feeling touched his fingers. He felt an instantaneous jolt. The boy gasped. He looked up to see whether or not his parents had noticed. Their faces indicated that they had not.

He pushed the strange feeling aside as he removed the lid. Inside was a doll. It was a strange doll, not like any that he had ever seen before. Its eyes were open. They were a set of beautiful, ruby red eyes. Its face was well defined, sharp and angular. A look of peace and tranquility was ever present upon its face. Also there was a sense of familiarity. The doll looked remarkably like the young boy himself. Blond bangs lined his face, a crown of black with red tints all around. The young boy gently and lovingly picked up the doll and held it out before him. A long, free falling violet cape flowed beyond its body. A white cloth covered its body and flowed into a skirt. Gold clasps enclosed its ankles. A pair of sandals was bound to its feet. Upon the doll's head was a golden crown, the sign of royalty. "It… it's beautiful Jii-chan!"

"I'm glad you like it. The man I got it from said you would. It's modeled after an ancient Pharaoh."

"From Egypt… where Okaasan and Otousan work at?" The boy asked.

"Yep, treat him well okay Yuugi?"

"Hai!" The boy nodded.

Akina looked up, curiously at her father-in-law before looking down at her son. She pushed away any strange and peculiar thoughts about the doll before lightly kissing her son's forehead. "What are you going to name it?"

"Uh…" The boy bit his lips, trying to grab a name. "Mou hitori no boku."

"Mou hitori no boku? That's a mighty long name don't you think?" Mitsu asked jokingly. The initial shock of seeing the box in front of him had ebbed away. After all the discovery of that mysterious unopened golden box had been found a year ago, toy makers were bound to make toy boxes look like that. Right?

"But it matches! He looks just like me… almost!" The boy quickly added causing a fit of laughter from the grownups in the room.

As night rolled into the hospital, bitter sweet good byes were exchanged. It was always hard to leave Yuugi at the hospital especially around the holidays, but the doctor had promised that Yuugi could go home by the New Year and this time possibly for good. Maybe even start school come spring. The idea of going to school, a normal school, exhilarated the young boy.

Yuugi sighed as he took his daily medicine. The doll wrapped around his hands. "Oyasumi, mou hitori no boku. Aishiteru." A string of tears rolled down from the boy's eyes. One landed upon the doll's face.

  
________________________________________

 

_Bing!_

A small Kuribo alarm clock sounded awakening the young boy, throwing him out of his slumber. The boy groaned. A small slender hand reached outward. He lightly hit the alarm clock before pulling his hand back. The boy groaned. The presence of slumber and sleepiness was ever present in his bright amethyst eyes.

"Yuugi!" A young woman called. Her voice echoed throughout the small two-story house. Immediately he recognized that it belonged to his mother. The young boy bound up from his bed. A smile appeared upon his lips as he ran downstairs to be met with that of a tired young woman. She had a leather bag in one hand and a stick in her other. Her eyes revealed fatigue, obviously the result of a long night.

"Okaasan! You're home!" The boy cried running to meet his mother's warm embrace.

"Yuugi, my baby." The young woman immediately dropped her luggage and bent down to give her eight-year-old son a hug.

"Have you been good for your grandfather?" The young woman inquired.

"He was an angel, Akina." The boy's grandfather immediately answered, appearing at the doorway. An apron and cooking mitts adorned his body. The boy broke into a grin as his mother lightly kissed his forehead.

"I'm glad." She muttered. Tears appeared in her eyes as she rose and picked up her suitcase. The young boy immediately latched on to the hem of his mother's pants. He looked at her eagerly. The two walked into the kitchen. The faint smell of breakfast filled the room.

"Okaasan."

"Hai, Yuugi."

The boy bit his lips testing his waters before speaking. "How…how long are you staying for?" His voice sounded a little too bitter. Yesterday's events at school were still etched in his mind. He glanced over at his grandfather. The elder nodded knowing that now wasn't the time to talk about Yuugi's first day of school.

"Oh Yuugi. I'm so sorry. I wasn't there when you started school. Did… did something happen?" The young woman asked. The little boy looked down feeling guilty.

"Akina. The boy is fine. Where's Mitsu?" Sugoroku asked as Yuugi did the same. Feelings of the joy of seeing his mother again made him forget that his father  
wasn't there too.

"In Egypt."

"Otousan didn't come back with you?" Yuugi questioned.

"No… not this time. Yuugi."

"Oh." Yuugi mumbled dejected.

"I have something to tell you. You and your grandfather…"

"What… what! A… a present."

"In…a way."

"Oh what! What!" Yuugi asked. He clapped his hands happily. The young mother laughed picking her boy up.

"You're going to be a big brother."

"Brother? How?" The boy asked curious.

"Okaasan is going to have another baby."

"Baby?" Yuugi asked before his mouth widened. "Really?"

"Uh huh… and Okaasan is going to be home for a long time. No more trips to Egypt for a long time. Your Otousan will be coming home closer to the time the baby will be born."

"When? When?"

"In six more months."

"Oh. That's a long time," Yuugi commented.

"Yes. But we have a lot to do. And… Yuugi darling… you're going to have more responsibilities."

"Responsibilities," Yuugi stated. A smile glazed his lips. He was not certain what responsibilities really were. "Can I go tell mou hitori no boku?"

"After breakfast, Yuugi," Sugoroku added setting two plates in front of both mother and child. A perplexed expression appeared upon the young woman's lips especially aimed towards Sugoroku.

"His doll," the elder whispered, noticing that Yuugi had become engrossed in his breakfast to notice the shift in the conversation.

"His doll?"

"The one I gave him last Christmas."

Minutes later Yuugi looked up. "I'm done. Can I go now?"

"Of course" Sugoroku nodded, watching as Yuugi bound upstairs and disappeared into his bedroom.

Akina sighed as she twirled her chopsticks in her fingers. She absentmindedly drew lines through the food. "Is he happy?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"He looked so downcast when I asked him about his first day at school."

"Oh."

"Otousan! If, if there is anything."

"He's been picked on at school. You know he was born small, with a weak heart… premature. Then with the eight years he spent at the hospital off and on. We couldn't possibly have expected everything would have gone smoothly.”

Akina sighed, lightly rubbing her abdomen. "I… I had hoped."

"But he is fine. Really. You saw him. He's happy. He really likes his doll too. He talks to it… about everything."

Akina laughed bewildered. "I had a toy like that too when I was little. It was an angel doll with beautiful long blond hair, beautiful long feathered wings. She was dressed in a white dress. Then…then I grew older. She became worn out, and we drifted apart. Her name was Ai. Did Mitsu have a toy like that?”

"Is he dead?"

"What!" Akina gasped. "How… how did you know something was amiss?"

"You forget. Parents have a way of knowing."

"Of course," Akina sighed. "He's in a coma at Domino hospital. They said he might not make it. I… I." Akina sobbed, immediately latching on to her father-in-law. "What… what am I going to do… if… if… he… oh… Yuugi."

"Shh. Mitsu is strong. He will get better." Sugoroku encouraged, lightly drawing circles upon the young woman's back.

Unknown to his elders, Yuugi hadn't gone up to his bedroom immediately instead he had heard everything. Tears fell from amethyst eyes, staining his face. The tears slid down his face. As they fell to his hands, the tears were no longer clear and translucent, but mixed with makeup, leaving a nasty black bruise upon his face.

The boy lightly shut his door and found mou hitori no boku sitting there on his desk. A smile upon its face like always. Tears filtered from his eyes as he grabbed the doll and cradled it in his hands. "Mou hitori no boku… Otousan… Otousan… " The boy wailed as he fell onto his bed. The doll was still within his arms.

  
________________________________________

 

Months went by. Mitsu really did come out of his coma much to everyone's delight. His parents never did discover that Yuugi had known all along that his father was sick and on the verge of death.

The light fall breeze filled the air. The leaves within the city started to change color. Some even began to fall.

After another long day at school, Yuugi sighed. His eye dazed over as he watched his science teacher talk about dinosaurs. His favorite was the long necks. They were so big and tall. He wanted to be tall just like the long necks.

His twirled his pencil in his hands. Thoughts of dinosaurs were soon replaced by dragons, horses, priests, magicians and… Yuugi gasped as a large paper ball landed upon the back of ‘his’ head. He hissed. Annoyed, he turned around to be met by the smirk of a blond and his best friend… Jounouchi and Honda. Yuugi shook his head… what jerks! They wanted to turn him into a man by torturing him.

He quickly turned away and looked down at his textbook. The fleeting image he had seen in his mind was shoveled to the corners. Moments later, another large paper ball hit the back of his head. This time the force on the back of his head was much harder and painful. A loud ouch left his lips before he could contain himself, which alerting the teacher.

"Yes Mutou."

"Uh…" Yuugi glanced over at Jounouchi and Honda. Innocent looks now replaced their smirks. Both boys now were looking attentively at their textbooks. _Jerks!_

"Nothing Sensei. I… I just cut my finger on my pencil sharper." The teacher looked at the younger boy. A puzzled look appeared her face before she nodded.

"Be careful next time, Mutou. Any ways as I was saying… the Tri…" Yuugi sighed. He was glad the teacher hadn't pressure him to continue before slipping another glance at Jounouchi and Honda. Smirks appeared upon their faces again. _Complete morons!_

The rest of the school day proved to be less eventful. Ushio hadn't showed up at school for once. His mother had called in sick. Yuugi couldn't help but cherish his luck as he grabbed his lunch box before returning to his desk. His classmates were all outside playing basketball. One had even been kind enough to ask him to play, but he had declined. He was too short to play. Also, he would feel guilty if they lost because of him. Instead, he immersed himself in his own games. It was a new game that his grandfather had bought for him. He said that it came from Egypt. It was an ancient game that children in Egypt used to play. Minutes into the game Yuugi sighed as he pulled out his doll, mou hitori no boku. He had brought the doll with him today. Something he never did before, but for once it felt right. He sat the doll in front of him before looking down at the game and sighed. It wasn't fun playing games by himself, but what could he do? Nobody else liked playing board games. They were all into basketball or baseball.

"I wish you could play with me mou hitori no boku." Yuugi sighed longingly. "I bet you would like my kind of games. I bet when you used to rule Egypt, you were a great gamer. I bet you were a game king." Yuugi tilted his head. It looked as if the doll was looking at the game. Yuugi smiled. "It’s called Senet. Grandpa told me it came from Egypt. That everyone in Egypt use to play this game. Did you, Mou hitori no boku?"

Yuugi sighed once more before continuing to play. The doll continued to look on protectively and longingly.

School ended that day on a good note. He only got hit only once by Jounouchi's infamous rubber band trick. The second time he had ducked to pick up another student's pencil, which they had dropped. In turn, the rubber band had hit the student in front of him… Akira. Nobody messed with Akira. He and Jounouchi had been enemies since first grade. Akira immediately ratted out Jounouchi, which caused the blond to be sent to the principal's office.

A small song played on the tongue of the boy's lips as he skipped happily down the street. _Maybe school isn't all that bad._

"Yuugi!' A familiar voice stopped him dead in his tracks causing the younger to look around for the owner of the voice. "Yuugi, over here in the cab." The boy turned. In the yellow cab were his father and grandfather.

"Otousan! You're home!" He shouted running over to the cab. The young frantic father lightly creased his son's cheeks before pulling open the cab door.

"Get in." Mitsu stated. The young boy immediately complied. The young father took his son's bag before settling his son in the cab seat next to him.

"Where are we going Otousan?" Yuugi questioned bewildered. A smile appeared on his face. He was excited about going somewhere with his father. "To Egypt?"  
The boy asked readily.

"What?" Mitsu asked before quickly shaking his head. "No… no, to the hospital."

"Hospital!" The young eight-year-old cried horrified at the thought of returning to the place that had isolated him from the world for so long. Even though most of his memories of that place were sweet ones, the doctors and nurses there were all extremely nice to him. The nights were just horrible except for his last few months there. He had mou hitori no boku with him, and everything wasn't scary anymore. "No! Don't want to! Evil!"

"Calm down champ. Not for you, we're going to see Okaasan… and your baby brother or sister."

"Baby!" Yuugi's eyes widened. "Okaasan said the baby wouldn’t be here for six months. It’s only… only been." Yuugi mentally counted the months before looking up. "Five."

"I know Yuugi. Sometimes… people are early." The young father whispered. He stroked his son's bangs tenderly. Thoughts of just eight years earlier when Akina had given birth to Yuugi in Egypt came back to him. They were in a Pharaoh's tomb when her water broke. It was a new find that they had excavated just weeks earlier. Akina had been intent on seeing the tomb saying that once the baby was born it would be months before she could it. The labor was quick, almost too quick. Yuugi was so little, nearly a month early. Just a few grams, he almost died in his hands. His heart had stopped so many times on the way to the nearby local hospital. Those were some of the things Yuugi never knew. He had always assumed he was born in Domino Hospital like everyone else. Maybe that was one of the reasons he was so attached to the land of the kings.

"Oh," the boy nodded accepting the analogy not knowing the dangers of being early in this case. The rest of the trip to the hospital was a quiet one. Yuugi had fallen asleep on his grandfather's lap as they pulled up to the general hospital. Seeing his son's calm, at peace look neither adult could bring themselves to wake the young boy. So Sugoroku volunteered to stay with Yuugi until he awoke.

Settling the young boy down on the couch, Sugoroku sighed as he pulled up a magazine. It was going to be a long night. He already knew that. A long sigh left  
his lips as he glanced over at his grandson's sleeping form. _At least one of us is getting some sleep. Innocence is such bliss._ "That your son?" A young voice asked startling Sugoroku out of his thoughts. The elder looked up. There in front of him was a beautiful young girl. She had very beautiful long strands of blond hair and a glorious figure. "He's adorable." The young woman commented lightly running her fingers through the boy's bangs. "I see where he gets his looks from."  She added fluttering her eyelashes at Sugoroku.

 _Maybe I was wrong._ "Why thank you."

"Otousan!" _Oh crap._ There standing at the door way of the waiting room was his frenzied son. The evidence of sweat was on his face. "Otousan. It's Akina. She… she…" Suddenly the initial shock and thoughts drained from the young man's face as he looked at the scene before him. Some strange woman, no doubt a very beautiful woman was holding hands with his beet red father’s hands. "Otousan! Oh my god! Even in a place like this your perverted self still shines through. No wonder you used to get Okaasan so mad at you."

"Mitsu, it's not what you are thinking, really." Sugoroku sputtered out while trying to compose himself. This results in the young woman giggling.

"Oh, so he's your son. And that's…" The girl stated pointing at the still sleeping Yuugi.

"His grandson… Yuugi," Mitsu stated not pleased at the turn of events.

"He's even cuter." The young woman giggled lightly running her hand through Mitsu's blond bangs before running down the hall. Before fully disappearing she turned around and waved. She winked her eyes once before shouting out. "Give Akina-chan my best. Ja ne." Both men's eyes widened considerably as they stared at the retreating figure of the young woman who seemed to know more about them than they did of her.

"Otousan?" A sleepy boy questioned, awakening from his slumber. "Jii-chan? What is Kujaki-san doing here?"

"Kujaki-san? You know her Yuugi?" Mitsu questioned picking put the young boy and lightly rubbed his forehead.

"Hai! I know her daughter, Kasumi. She, she was my friend when I was little at the hospital." Immediately after revealing such information the young boy lost interest. "How is Okaasan?"

"Good, and I want you to meet somebody."

"Baby?" Yuugi questioned.

"Uh huh."

"Can, can I take mou hitori no boku with me too?"

"Mou hitori no boku?" Mitsu questioned, intrigued before remembering their last Christmas. The doll.

"My friend." Yuugi stated grabbing his backpack and pulled out the doll. Like always there was a smile on its lips. A content look flashed upon its face.

"Yes, Mou hitori no Yuugi can come with us." Taking his son by his hands the small family walked down the halls of the hospital then finally into the IC for infants. Large gigantic machines covered the room each connected to an incubator. The huge machines brought memories back for him. They were memories of the IV tubs that were stuck in his skin. Without meaning it, the young boy started to shake uncontrollably. His eyes rolled back as his whole body grew ridged. Mitsu gasped too stunned to do anything as he watched his son have a seizure. Something he hadn't experienced for months.

"Help! Help!" Sugoroku shouted, watching his loved ones melt before him. Seconds later everything seemed to fog over. A team of doctors were located, and Yuugi was rushed into the emergency room. The forgotten doll lay on the ground. The elder man who felt as if he had aged a dozen years bent down and creased the doll's face. Was there a sign of defeat and utter failure present upon the doll's face instead of its usual look of contentment?

"You didn't fail Yuugi. He's just frail for his age, but he's a fighter." Sugoroku muttered not knowing why he was comforting a doll, but he was. He suddenly realized just how Yuugi felt when he talked to the doll. It really did feel good, strangely enough.

  
________________________________________

 

Tears lined the young boy's amethyst eyes. He hugged his doll longingly. Burying his face within the ancient pharaoh's yarn bound hair. The scent of ancient spices was ever present within the doll's scent giving the boy comfort. Here and there he would look up: his parents' crying faces, his mother's ashen face, wary and tired, his father's motionless expression, a lighted match in his hands. His brow frowned. He was confused by the small wooden bound box in front of him that was placed upon a set of logs. He only cried because everyone else was crying. He was still confused at what was going on.

The young boy looked up and saw his grandfather standing there beside him, his hand around his mother's shoulders. The elder man's normally vibrant eyes now cast in shadow. "Jii-chan." The boy whimpered tugging on the elder man's pants.

The elder man immediately bent down and rustled the boy's fine blond bangs. "Yes, Yuugi."

"Why are Okaasan and Otousan crying? Aren't we having a bar-b-q?" The boy asked memories of last year's picnic by the temple still present in his mind. The elder sighed. Memories of Akina's wails of pain when the baby had stopped breathing in her arms, and Yuugi's screams of terror at his mother's sobbing were still etched in his mind. The young boy had never seen his mother cry much less so profoundly.

"When is Nozomi-chan coming home?" Yuugi questioned.

"Yuugi," Sugoroku sighed. His face laced with fatigue as he watched another burning match go out in his son's hands. It was the fifteenth one already. "Nozomi is never coming home. That is why your parents are crying."

"Why Jii-chan? I have responsibility." Yuugi added hugging the doll more profoundly.

"She, she can't Yuugi. She's in a better place now. High up in the sky…"

"How she get up there?" Yuugi asked confused.

"Uh, she flew up there."

"Oh, like… a bird?"

"Yes," Sugoroku added rustling the boy's bangs. "Like a bird… with beautiful, white, feathery soft wings."

Yuugi's mouth widened. "Like… like an angel."

"Uh huh, she's an angel now Yuugi. She flew up to a beautiful land up in the sky, a castle, no a kingdom built of glass. It's really a beautiful place, a paradise," Sugoroku added. Tears stained his eyes as he watched Yuugi look up at the sky confused.

"I don't see any palace," Yuugi added confused.

"I know. Because it is really, really high up in the sky, we can't see it till it's our time."

"Why? Can't I go and bring her back, so Okaasan and Otousan won't cry anymore. Doesn't she want to be with us? Doesn't she love us anymore? Won't she be lonely up there? I… I know! I…I'll"

"Yuugi," Sugoroku added. "You… you can't bring her back. She's with Baachan now… and… and a lot of other wonderful people...they'll protect her. Someday, we'll be up there with them." Sugoroku stated longingly.

"Oh… okay. Just like mou hitori no boku protects me," Yuugi added happily hugging his doll.

"Yes… just like mou hitori no boku," Sugoroku added. He stood up and sighed. Yuugi was so innocent, yet he knew just like with Mitsu. Someday Yuugi would have to know the truth. Someday the story of the kingdom in the sky just wouldn't be enough. Sugoroku longed that day would never come. That Yuugi would forever stay as sweet and innocent as he was now, but he knew that couldn't and wouldn't happen. A smile glazed the boy's lips as he watched his father finally toss a burning match upon the box. The boy's amethyst eyes widened as he looked on at the burning balls of light dance with its wide assortment of colors… yellow, orange, red, and blue.

He yelped as he felt warm arms encircle him only to discover that it was his mother. "Okaasan… Jii-chan said Nozomi-chan is an angel now, living in a beautiful glass castle," the boy exclaimed. A small smile imprinted upon the young mother's lips.

"Hai, Yuugi. She is a very beautiful angel."

Time seem to be unable to contain itself as the years went by. Changing the young eight-year-old to that of a sprouting boy of fourteen, Christmas was around the corner once more. It was his favorite holiday. Yet, the once vibrant boy had changed. The memories of his early school days were still evident in his mind.  
The medication that he had been forced to take in his infantile years stunted his growth. He was tiny for his age. He was a prefect target for bullies to pick on. He was easy picking especially since he didn't like to fight…not at all. He didn't like physical harm, so he was badly picked on at school. His only solace was in his toys, and the young 'pharaoh' doll dubbed mou hitori no boku.

  
________________________________________

 

Yuugi sighed as he trudged through the streets of Domino City. His cheeks were puffy and red from the cold weather. A smile played upon his rosy red lips. His backpack nuzzled against his body as he admired the Christmas decorations around him. He loved them. The sparkling lights, the jiggling of bells, and especially the gigantic Christmas tree that was placed in the center of town at Domino Station. He wondered how many glistening angels were going to be hung on it this year. He wondered who would be the lucky chosen one who got to place the star upon the tree. _Probably Kaiba-kun._ He scoffed. The snobby little rich brat had just transferred to his school at the start of term. He was rich beyond rich. His father after all did own one of the largest technology empires in the world… something the little brat was sure to inherit someday.

He couldn't help but wonder which one of those lucky girls who fawned at him would be the lucky one… chosen to be his bride. _Maybe the others could be his mistresses._ He thought bitterly. What he would give for just one of those girls to like him. Immediately the image of one of girls caught his mind. Tall, beautiful, brunette, dancer Masaki Anzu, she was the smartest girl in their class and class president. Everyone liked her. She was popular, friendly, and nice. She had after all stood up for him… not once…but multiple times. His heart fluttered, but he immediately looked dejected. What hope did he have of winning her heart? He couldn't compete against the other boys in his class, with people like Kaiba. Yuugi sighed as the pulled open the door to his grandfather's store.

Being a retired archeologist himself, Sugoroku had opened a translating shop in Domino. "Jii-chan! I'm home." There came no response as Yuugi walked into the kitchen. There tagged to the refrigerator was note written in his grandfather's hasty scrawny handwriting. Yuugi pulled it off and sighed. Another night alone, his grandfather would be gone till next Monday on another translating job with Arthur in Egypt. At least he would bring his parents home with him… just in time for Christmas.

Yuugi sighed as he pulled out a can of juice and an apple before bounding upstairs. He slipped his backpack down on his bed before looking up. There sitting on his desk was his friend. His doll… his only long lasting loyal companion... an ancient Pharaoh that his grandfather had given to him so many Christmas's ago.

"Hey… Mou hitori no boku." Yuugi chirped. His demeanor suddenly changed as he lightly ceased the doll's cheeks. A smile appeared upon his lips. "No… I'm wrong. I'm not alone. I'll never be alone cause I got you." Yuugi grinned before sitting down. He lightly and lovely fondled the doll's cheeks. "Jii-chan's in Egypt again with Okaasan, Otousan, and Hopkins-san. I wonder what Egypt is like. That's where you came from. Jii-chan told me. Jii-chan told me it's beautiful. There are long wide stretches of sand for miles… everywhere. I've only seen white sand at the beach. Jii-chan told me Egypt's sand is different.

"He also told me that you were crafted after a Pharaoh. That must have been cool… ruling an empire? Have people obey your commands. I bet you were a good Pharaoh… and a good person. Unlike me… unlike me mou hitori no boku. I'm so selfish. I… I want Anzu to like me. I really do, but that's selfish… isn't it? And…" Yuugi stopped hesitantly before speaking once more.

"I'm so selfish. You know, mou hitori no boku? Every year… on my birthday I make a wish. I wish… I wish you were alive… alive, so we could talk. Instead of me always being the one to talk. I… I bet we would talk for hours… days… years and never get bored… and… and we could play games." Yuugi sighed looking down dejected. "But… but that's selfish too. Real selfish." Tears fell from the young boy's face… staining his face as he sobbed.

Yet… the doll looked on… with a look of 'longing'… and utter sadness? Was that even possible?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, in case anybody is curious or doesn't know. Kame, the title of this fic is the Japanese word for turtle. There is a very good reason why I named this fic turtle. It will all become clear at the end.


	2. Itsumo

The great beams of sunlight were once more cast upon the land of the rising sun. The sound of children as their voices rang through the halls of the school as they recited their daily lessons. Summer break was fast approaching. A time for relaxation and a time when arcades would once again be filled with obsessed gaming fanatics. A warm breeze blew through the air carrying with it the sound of the buzzing traffic within Domino's streets. It was followed by the low chime of the school bell announcing the end of another long day.

A boy, nearly approaching his sixteenth birthday, sighed as he leaned upon an open window. His hands lay limply outside of the frame. Chalk filled erasers in both hands dangled outside the window. His blond bangs fluttered in the breeze. A large yawn escaped his lips. His eyes showed fatigue. Faint traces of dark circles were slowly forming around his normally vibrant amethyst eyes. "Hey Yuugi! Stop day dreaming!" A boy shouted. His words filled with traces of a southern accent. An apron was tied around his waist, a trash can in one hand and a broom in the other. "You aren't the only one who's bored right now!"

Mutou Yuugi sighed before cocking back his head. "Sorry Yasuhara!" He flipped back a piece of blond bangs before giving the erasers a final clap. He coughed as a cloud of chalk dust engulfed the air before he retreated into the schoolroom.

Absentmindedly he dropped the erasers back onto the chalkboard before grabbing the mop. The other boy sighed, shaking his head. He hated having after school clean up duty with Yuugi. The other never talked. It got so quiet and lonely.

The minute hand slowly ticked by before finally hitting the large twelve. The clock groaned, sounding off its time just as Yuugi placed the mop back into a closet down the hall. His cleanup duty shift finally ended as he walked to his locker. Yasuhara had left long ago. Yuugi had let him go an hour early saying he could finish up for the both of them. Haphazardly he changed his shoes and grabbed his bag which was crammed full of that night's homework. The sun had long set as Yuugi left the school. Streetlights were slowly starting to turn on in all the stores. Some would soon be closing.

The smell of old steel engulfed his olfactory system as he boarded one of the last buses of the night. Very few people were out this late. A middle age man was currently engrossed in the day's newspaper. A sixty some year old woman, probably a grandmother already with fine strands of gray hair and a walking stick, was currently dozing off into the land of dreams. A young woman, in a skirt and blouse, with a young boy about four or five who was currently fast asleep on her lap.

The teen shook his head before walking to the back of the bus and situated himself on the leather bond seat. It would be long ride home… nearly an hour on a day like today. His home was one of the farthest from his high school. It was situated on the border where the business district met the beach. He pulled out a book… one that he would have to have finished by the end of the week for literature. It wasn't that interesting. It wasn't even about Japan or written by a Japanese author. Instead it was English in nature. It was written by an English nobleman a century ago about knights, kings, and chivalry. Their teacher thought that reading writings from other countries' authors would broaden their views of the world.

The boy's eyes began to droop as moments later just when he felt like he was asleep an uneasy jolt awoke him. He tumbled to floor. The contents of his bag spilled out before him. The bus driver gave him a sheepish look before stopping the bus completely and walking over to help Yuugi up. Minutes later the contents were back in his pack, and Yuugi walked off the bus.

A handful of coins in his hands… enough to cover a week's worth of bus rides.

He watched as the bus pulled away before he turned towards the other direction. His grandfather's store and his house was just at the end of the block. The faint sound of shriek owl could be heard before dissolving into the sounds of traffic. The small bell jiggled as Yuugi walked into the almost dark house. He dropped his bag on the ground before walking into the kitchen… the only source of light in the house. A plate mounted with food on one end… his aging grandfather in the other. A depressed and pitiful look was etched his face… a pile of letters in front of him.

"Konbonwa Jii-chan," Yuugi stated before slipping into his seat and grabbed the pair of chopsticks that were located before him.

The elder man made no indication of hearing… a seemly worn envelope… that looked like it had traveled a long distance was clutched in his hands which were lightly shaking. He bit his lips watching his only grandson literally engulf his meal. The minute hand dragged on as the boy walked out of the kitchen and grabbed his forgotten backpack. Sugoroku followed. His hand still clutched the unopened envelope.

"Yuugi." Sugoroku called just as Yuugi was about to walk away. The boy immediately stopped and looked back at his aging grandfather. The elder man licked his lips before trying to figure out the best way to state his news… before reverting back to what he always said. "You know your parents love you right?"

Yuugi's eyes immediately hollowed out. His breathing shortened. Yet he didn't cry instead stared hollowly at the envelope in his grandfather's hands. He stared at it with deep animosity before speaking. His voice was bitter and filled with held back hatred. "They aren't coming."

"No, they send their love… and this letter." Sugoroku added holding up the unopened letter. Yuugi stared at it blankly… not moving. The elder man sighed before stuffing it into Yuugi's hand which now cold and hard. The minute hand ticked on. The silence lingered before Yuugi ran upstairs. He closed his bedroom forcefully.

Sugoroku sighed haven watched his grandson's retreat. The boy no longer cried about it anymore. His heart had long hardened over during times like this. He was beyond tears. The feeling of abandonment had long left him. He hadn't seen his parents in years… every year on his birthday and on Christmas he always received the exact same letter… wishing him the best of health and whatever day it was and stating how they wished they could be with him but couldn't. It started nearly eight years ago… after Nozomi died. His mother never fully healed from the pain of losing a child. How foolish they were in Sugoroku's eyes. His father was the same. They couldn't bear to see Yuugi. Fearful that he too would die from heart failure… they had left for Egypt one week after the cremation. Visits became less frequent and somber… soon being cut down to only birthdays and Christmas. Soon, just three years early… they all together stopped coming. Always claiming that they couldn't leave their work, but always sending lavish and expensive gifts. The boy took them heartily at first… then… now he simply refused to open them. Gifts from two years past were piled in the attic, which were now probably covered in dust.

Sugoroku sighed. He hated been caught in the middle… being the messenger… being the one to bring the bad news… being the one to attempt to make Yuugi's birthday as joyful as possible. Soon he would take up a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. He would leave it on Yuugi's nightstand and whisper a faint 'I love you' then retreat to his own room. The young boy would engross himself in piles of homework. And the old man didn't know how to approach the young boy… after he too when Mitsu was growing up was frequently gone. He and Mitsu had a strained relationship. He was always away… his career and passion for games didn't permit him from having much time with his family… maybe that's why Mitsu chose to be an archeologist too. And maybe that's why Sugoroku gave up digging because he wanted to make amends with his son by raising Yuugi. And now, Yuugi was the one paying the price.

________________________________________

The days seemed to drag on longer and longer for Yuugi as the prospect of his parents not returning for his sixteenth birthday. He could barely remember what they looked like anymore. The last time he had seem them was on his thirteen birthday. People say you couldn't forget what your parents looked like… their imprints would be forever engraved within your mind, yet Yuugi had none of those. When he was little, he spent majority of his life in the hospital and away from home. As he grew older it was his grandfather who raised him, bestowed upon him his love for games. After all when his grandfather was younger he himself was a world renowned gamer. He possessed talent beyond his skill of reading hieroglyphics.

Yuugi let out a loud sigh. What a birthday present! A two hundred problem test was laid out before him on a semester's worth of physics. He hated physics. All that force calibration… it made his head spin profoundly just thinking about vectors. A timed test, their dear 'sweet' teacher thought it would be the prefect practice before the midterm in a couple of weeks.

A light breeze blew through the open windows rustling the large stapled test before him. From the sound of random students' cursing, it was obvious the wind had created problems for them too. Yuugi slipped a glance to a few seats behind him. A light red streak of crimson crossed the underline of his amethyst eyes. His heart pounded furiously. There she was the love of his life. Masaki Anzu, it turned out she wasn't interested in Kaiba Seto's arrogance and wealth. The young fifteen-year-old had inherited his father's business just last year after an 'unfortunate' accident. Instead, she had taken the liberty of being his sole protector. A little pathetic but that didn't keep her from actually kissing him just one week earlier. It wasn't a really passionate kiss. Actually it was a spur of the moment thing… one minute they were talking. She had just saved from playing 'monkey in the medium' with Honda and Jounouchi. He ended up dropping his books all over the place, and the two both bent down to pick them up. The two bumped heads and Anzu's lips glazed his cheeks. Next thing Yuugi knew Anzu was giving him a kiss not on the cheeks but on the lips. He being too stunned didn't know how to react… causing the young girl to run off. They hadn't talked since then. She always found a way to bypass him. Her head always bowed down… her face flaming red.

Yuugi had been on cloud nine after that incident. A half stunned… half in a trance… goofy smile transgressed his face just remembering and salvaging the memory of Anzu's lips upon his own. He quickly shook such an image from his mind… Anzu and him kissing under a full blooming cherry tree. The beautiful, white snow flake petals would cascade upon them… showering them in spring's hopes. He was almost done… just a few more problems left, and the first hour had barely passed.

Twenty minutes later, Yuugi turned in his paper and walked back to his desk. Only one other person had finished before him Kaiba Seto, the young CEO, gave him a smirk as Yuugi sat down before once again being engrossed in his book. No matter how much Yuugi despised physics, he was amazingly good at it. Actually he was good at most subjects, but when he had to take those damn intelligence tests. He would always zone out and make a hideous score. Sugoroku would always scold the boy for not trying hard enough in his studies. Yuugi rarely ever studied… instead spent most of his time engrossed in games at the local game shops around Domino.

The boy sighed… his amethyst eyes flickered once before soon sleep claimed him. He didn't know how long he slept or if the class was even over when a light nudge awoken him. Yuugi groaned… muttering a 'leave me alone' which caused the class to break out into laughter before the teacher finally managed to awaken the boy. His vision was hazy. His mind cleared as the teacher stuffed a note into his hand before ushering him to the direction of the principal's office. Minutes later the disoriented boy stumbled into the principal's office… to his surprise there was his guidance counselor and grandfather. The elder man looked as if he had been crying which stunned Yuugi to no end. Immediately upon seeing Yuugi enter, the old man wrapped his arms around the boy.

"Jii-chan!" Yuugi voice's betrayed him. He was startled to no end. His grandfather wasn't an emotional person… a little overly enthusiastic at times, but he never cried much less hugged him like that. Maybe a light pinch of encouragement, a short 'love you', or a fluff of his bangs but never an outright hug.

"Your parents loved you, you know that right?" The boy nodded confused. Once more his heart sank at remembering that his parents weren't coming home once again. "They found a beautiful tomb. Mitsu's dream was to find a Pharaoh's tomb. He finally accomplished it." Sugoroku said. On and on he rambled about his son's accomplishments, dreams, and goals in life… how was he was wonderful person. Yet his arms were always tightly latched onto Yuugi's.

"Jii-chan… Jii-chan, I know Otousan was a great archeologist. Him and Okaasan… you've told me about their evacuations in Egypt. I… I have class Jii-chan. If… if…" Yuugi started untangling his grandfather's grasp before turning around to walk out to the door.

"Yuugi… your parents are angels… they… they're in paradise now…"

Silence engulfed the room after Sugoroku's declaration. The sixteen-year-old's eyes widened… horrified, yet tears didn't fall.

No one spoke. No one moved. It wasn't till the phone rang minutes later that broke the trance, and Yuugi ran. He ran out of the school… forgetting to change his shoes… forgetting his things. He ran and ran. He ran out of the courtyard. His mind confused. Tears fell from his amethyst eyes. On he ran into the middle of the street…

HONK!

Blinding white light… stunned his amethyst eyes… a string of curses…

"Yuugi!"

_Otousan… Okaasan…_

________________________________________

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The faint sound of a mild heartbeat, the sound of air being pumped through a machine which was timed with the beating of the heart. A long roll of paper was slowly being sent through a machine before coming out the other end. A young feeble boy laid upon a bed three sizes too big from him. A blood soaked bandage was wrapped around his forehead. IV tubes were stuck in his arms. Transparent fluid flowed through a tube into his hands. An elder man sat in a chair. His hands wrapped around  
the boy's hand.

Tears transcended down his face. The sound of the ticking of the clock could be heard. It was a little after ten at night already. The boy's eyes fluttered. His fingers moved. A light moan left his lips. "Jii-chan," he muttered… awakening the elder man from his state.

"Yuugi," Sugoroku muttered. His grasp on his grandson's hands tightened. "You gave us all quite a scare running out into the street like that Yuugi." Two more drops of tears fell from his eyes, staining his hands. Yuugi bit his lips. The events that had happened earlier that day immediately came crashing down on him. His grandfather came to his school and told him that his parents were dead. Sure, he hated them because they never came to see him and always sent letters. But… but he never wished for their deaths. Even then he had hope that someday he could go to Egypt and see them. At least then they were always on the same plane, but now, now his dreams were dashed from him forever.

"I brought you something." Sugoroku muttered minutes later releasing his grandson's hand and reached down below his seat. There he brought out a large box with a plastic lid. Yuugi's eyes widened as he pulled himself up. Moaning in discomfort, he felt no pain from his broken bones but moving and jolting a set bone still caused discomfort. Yuugi raised his hand and carefully attempted to remove the oxygen mask… seeing his grandson having trouble with it Sugoroku reached over and helped but he stated clearly that he would have to put it back on before he went to sleep for the night. Yuugi grinned. Almost as if he was reverting back to his youth when he would always be so happy to set and light the candles on his birthday cake. The elder man handed the boy the candles and lighter before leaning down before retrieve a gift-wrapped box and an old familiar doll. Yuugi's eyes widened upon seeing the doll just as he lit the last candle. Thoughts of spending the night alone at the hospital quickly dissolved now that he knew that mou hitori no boku would be there with him. He took the doll from his grandfather's arms and sat it between his legs.

"Go on Yuugi… make a wish." The boy immediately compiled. He glazed down at the doll remembering his past birthday wishes. How he always wished the doll would come alive, but this year for the first time it felt a little silly. The doll could never come alive. No matter how many more birthdays he wished for it. It could never be. His parents' smiling faces came into mind. He could wish that they could come back alive… no. That couldn't happen and would never happen. The deceased couldn't walk the earth once more. The sound of laughter filled his ears… coming from the hall that was beyond the closed doors. The sound of people talking… friends. That was what he wanted… what he always secretly wanted. Why he always wished for mou hitori no boku to be real, so they could be friends. He hadn't had any friends for a very long time… now… maybe… maybe he could.

A smile was engraved upon his lips. He hugged the pharaoh doll tightly before making his wish. _I wish for friends… friends I can count on… friends who will count on me._ His smile continued on as he opened his eyes and blew out the sixteen candles. Soon the candles were removed and a piece of cake was cut out for him. Both grandfather and grandson shared the cake before Sugoroku stowed it away. He would get the rest after he came home from the hospital. The elder man stuffed the present within his grandson's hands before replacing the oxygen mask. Lightly he rustled Yuugi's bangs like he use to do when the boy was younger before getting ready to leave.

"Jii-chan wait," Yuugi called desperately. Sugoroku immediately stopped and turned around. "Let me open my gift first." Sugoroku nodded watching as Yuugi tore open the gift. There in his hand was a solid steel knife. The hilt was made out of solid gold. A neat little design was craved upon the blade, still fresh and sharp as Yuugi ran his hand through it. The boy looked up confused.

"It came from Egypt… from one of Arthur's digs. He gave it to me saying that you might like it. It's an antique. He didn't have a heart to give it to the museum. He said you might like it… goes with the Pharaoh." Sugoroku chuckled.

"Thank you," Yuugi whispered as he ran his hand through the knife. He turned it around this way and that way, examining its subtle beauty. He didn't even notice his grandfather had left till minutes later when the haunting silence engulfed the room. Loneliness engulfed him. The pain of losing his parents returned as Yuugi sheathed the knife into its holder. He sat both the knife and the doll on the nightstand before closing his eyes. It didn't take long for Yuugi to fall asleep with tears slowly falling through the small crack of his eyelids.

He didn't know how he woken or when. His eyes fluttered… half open and half-closed. A warm comforting sensation engulfed his body which took away the chilliness of the hospital. A warm touch of another's hand lightly stroked his left arm, drawing circles through his hand. Yuugi sighed. It felt so good… too good to be true. After all who could possibly be here with him in his hospital room at this time of day… surely not his grandfather? He wouldn't be back for a long time. His career didn't give him that much leisure time. The young boy feared to turn his head, afraid that if he looked, his vigilante would disappear into a pouf of smoke.

The minute hand ticked on. Yuugi bit his lips. The medication was getting to him. His eyes drooped. His neck craned forcing him to his left side. Just as his eyes sealed to a close to be reclaimed into eternal sleep. His vision was now blurry. He made out the figure of a young regal man. His whole body aura proclaimed power, honor, and an air of high authority. He was dressed in the most peculiar fashion… almost like someone who had jumped out of one of his fairy tales from his youth. The young man had beautiful, long golden bangs that drooped down the side of his tanned face. A crown of ebony black with taints of red adorned his head… much like Yuugi's own. Actually the young strange looked remarkable like Yuugi… a twin or a long lost brother perhaps. Yet, whoever this young, glorious man was, Yuugi felt an undying bond with him… a sense of familiarity as if they had known one another for years.

Yuugi sighed… before losing himself once more into the land of dreams and fantasy.

Soon days became weeks as Yuugi stayed in the hospital. His grandfather had gone to Egypt days earlier to pack, sell and ship back all of his parents' belongings. He had made an agreement with the doctors earlier. They would allow Yuugi to stay in the hospital till his return, so he could take the recuperation after trauma classes at the hospital. The young teen didn't mind that much. He got to miss school, but he still had to do the work. Someone from the school always left his homework at the nurses' station, and he got to go for days without having a bully try to take his lunch money or participate in one of Jounouchi's 'man' lessons. But beside all that… he got to cherish and relive the feeling of his guardian angel's tender creases upon his hand at nights. He got to drool over the young vigilante's features and wonder what color eyes he could possibly have. Yet never in any of the encounters with the strange young man had the two ever talked. Yuugi never got to hear his voice… was it soft, loud, smoothing, kind, or arrogant? It was all left for his mind to dwell on.

It seemed as if over time the two just got acquainted. He would appear around two in the morning when Yuugi's drugs would wear off for a couple of minutes then by morning he would have disappeared. Once Yuugi had even asked some of the night staff if they had a son, or there was a volunteer that fit the boy's description. They all looked at him funny, and the next day he was sent in for hallucination tests. After that Yuugi never brought up the subject again. He would dream of his nightly guest secretly only revealing and sharing them with 'mou hitori no boku' the only one in the whole world that he believed truly understood him. Yet, he longed that someday, someday the drugs wouldn't claim him so soon, and that the mysterious young stranger could possibly become a friend… something he longed for.

"He came again last night… like he always does," Yuugi stated fondling the doll's blond bangs as he talked. "I feel bad through. He always comes… always here. I wish I could him thank you… or something. I wish I could talk to him, and I wish… I wish I could see his face. You know… mou hitori no boku? I bet he has a glorious face." The younger sighed. "I mean… I have seen the rest of him. His hair… his hands… everything else… he has long blond bangs… those cursed long bangs that always hides his face." Yuugi added absentmindedly… his hand still upon the doll. The boy sighed looking downcast before slipping a glaze at the doll. His breath shortened. Slowly… but surely his hand unclenched as the doll left his hands and fell onto the bed. Yuugi glazed at the doll as if it was foreign… an alien almost… not his friend for so long. Tears fell from his eyes as he clasped his legs… slowly rocking back and forth… back and forth. Under his breath he muttered over and over again 'iie, iie'. Time seemed to have stood still for Yuugi. Everything seemed to have emerged as one… fantasy and reality.

It was like the pieces of a long eight-year-old puzzle finally fell into place. He finally knew why… why the nurses never saw his nightly guest… because… because… there never had been one. It was all something he had made up from his mind… forcing himself to believe… believe that someone… anyone in the world actually cared about him. Just like what his grandfather use to tell him… that was how sorcery and magic worked. It worked because people wanted to believe. They longed to believe. And he, after telling himself he would never fall… fall into such an untimely trap. He actually had.

A hint of gold caught the corner of his eyes. It flashed… giving off a warm friendly glow. Yuugi's vision clouded over. His mind failed him as he reached for the knife… the warm, heavenly glow that it gave off lured him. Yes! Yes! That was all he had to do. All he had to do was grab the knife… and, and everything would be over. He would never have to be alone. He could finally go up into the castle of glass with his parents… with his sister… with everyone he loved. Yet as he brought the knife to his wrist. He looked at the sharp… iron-tinted blade… he looked on… stupidly… in a trance. In a deep, dark trance as the knife lowered… lowered to his wrist. The doll's face caught him. It's once calm, tranquil look changed to that of pleading, and Yuugi's heart broke. He was won over by the age-old magic and condemned himself… eternally. The knife fell from his hands as he grabbed the doll. The warm glow that the knife had once gave off ceased as he bawled into the doll's warm hair. The spices overwhelmed him dragging him once more into a persistent slumber.

________________________________________

The cool refreshing feel of autumn's wind drenched Yuugi's body. A particularly strong blast of wind rustled his blond bangs. His face was downcast as he clasped tightly to the straps on his backpack. Two months had passed since he was released from Domino General Hospital. Two months had passed since his hallucination. Two months since his parents' passing, two months since they were cremated. Yuugi sighed as he walked to his grandfather's shop and probably his permanent home till he graduated from high school.

The store was cold and somber. His grandfather had left two weeks ago for Mexico with Arthur. Unlike Yuugi, Sugoroku seemed to be in denial over his son's death and was trying to avoid all ties to Egypt by following Arthur to the Mayan Ruins of Mexico. The boy sighed as he walked into the living room. Tomorrow would be Sunday. He wouldn't have to work on his homework till tomorrow giving him some free time. The boy sighed as he dropped his backpack onto one of the lumpy couches before going to the kitchen. He let out an unpleasant sigh… annoyed that his food supply was running low, and he would actually have to go to the store tomorrow. He hated going to the market especially to the fish market. All those seine old people who love to bargain for good fish rates. He hated the stuffy and pungent stench that fish seemed to give off. Yuugi grabbed a can of soft drink from the fringe before making a quick U-turn to one of the cabinets to take out a bento that he had made yesterday.

With his dinner in hand, Yuugi popped down in front of the TV… hoping that something… anything would be on.

Ten minutes into some random show that he just didn't seem to get into the doorbell rang. The boy sighed dragging himself up from his laying down position on the couch. It was so comfortable too, and he probably wouldn't be able to relocate again for some time.

The annoying bell continued as Yuugi walked to the door and pulled it open. A murderous look was evident upon his face no matter how hard he tried to hide it. There, a young man in green stood, a bag was hanging by his side. A worn out, faded brown clipboard in one hand and small parcel in the other… about the size of a large dictionary.

"Yes," Yuugi strained trying to keep himself from shouting at the unknowing young man who had been unfortunate enough to be on mail duty at this time.

"Hmm… can I speak to…" the young man stopped before flipping through his clipboard. His face flashed red. "Mutou Yuugi," he quickly added.

"I'm Mutou Yuugi. Why?" The boy asked curiously. He wasn't expecting anything. He hadn’t ordered anything in a long time, and he doubted his grandfather would use his name for any of his orders.

"A parcel." Yuugi's lips slowly formed into a small 'o' as the package was thrust into his arms. His brow furrowed as he signed his name. Once more he felt as if he had fallen into an untimely dream like state as he watched the young man walk away… forever. He cocked his head… watching at the figure grew smaller and smaller. Everything seemed so small. Everything seemed so dull and life alike. Gravity seemed to have rewired itself at that moment as Yuugi looked down at the package. He looked at the return address. Everything became hazy. The names brought tears to his eyes. His mom and dad had sent it to him… a late birthday present… probably right before they had died too.

Yuugi gulped. He couldn't bring himself to open the package yet his hands longed to tear the parcel open. He felt disorientated and confused. He longed for anything… something to take his mind from opening the package. As ironic as it might have been to Yuugi at that moment, Kaiba Seto's voice did just that. The sound of that young CEO's voice penetrated his thought as he walked back into the living room. Immediately he set the package on the ground and kicked it. He didn't care where it landed… but the thought that it was near him bugged him. It was like a parasite… a lingering memory of something he wanted to forget. Something he could never forget.

"Kaiba," Yuugi muttered… as he slipped a glaze at the love chair. The parcel had slid under it. Yuugi eyed the unsettling and eerily blackness where the package now resided. He felt his stomach churn as he attempted to blur the memory of the package away from his mind. He tried to pay attention or at least use Kaiba's interview with the press to turn the low buzzing that now seem to infiltrate his mind.

The young teen seemed to stay in that half-mindless… half-dreamlike state for a long time.

It seemed as if time had fast forward itself once more… as without knowing it three hours soon came to pass. Yuugi drifted away from his mindless state as he let out a loud yawn of boredom. The controller in one hand, he haphazardly flipped through the channels. There was nothing on… or nothing that he could get his mind to focus on. An overly bored Yuugi sighed as he reached into the drawer of the table before him for the spare key that his grandfather always had in case he forgotten where he placed his keys.

He grabbed a handful of yen and his backpack before leaving his house. Even though it was close to ten at night, Yuugi knew he probably wasn't going to go to bed for another good solid three hours. Besides the video rental store was just a half-hour walk thus it was enough to get Yuugi out of the house no matter how much he didn't like to leave the house so late at night. A nagging annoying voice in his mind just had to comment that he wanted to escape the house.

Fifty minutes later Yuugi walked out of the rental store with two movies in hand. He sighed. The streets seemed so eerie now… even though there was still a handful of people and cars roaming through the streets. No matter how much his mind told him it was a bad idea, Yuugi took the back way. A route that he took quite often took during the day to get home ten minutes earlier. He felt the small pieces of hair stick up on his neck. A loud shriek of cat startled him. Immediately he regretted coming this way. During the day was one thing… but at night… won't there rumors of shady people roaming the alleys at night?

Yuugi trembled at he walked on. If only he had stayed on the main road, _if I get out of this alive I'll never take this alley at night again._ Yuugi thought as he walked on. The minutes dragged on. He was almost home… just a couple more minutes.

Click!

A cold, soul less chuckle… "hey kid. What are you doing in this part of town? Out so late too?"

_Shit!_

Yuugi moaned as he looked up… only to find himself surrounded by three big beefy men all in black clothes. A black vest with a torn shirt, chains adorned their bodies. Each with a pair of sunglasses covered their eyes. Yuugi gulped as he ran his choices through his mind. He could play the little, wimpy kid and beg for mercy. Give them all his money and pray to get out of this alive… or fight. Wait! Did he just say fight? Was he crazy? He couldn't fight much less win against so many men and twice his size.

He kept his head bowed… playing the wimpy kid as he walked up to them. Just as he felt that he had gotten away. A cold hard hand reached for his shoulders which held him back. "Just where do you think you're going."

"Home," Yuugi croaked.

"AWWW! Probably to his mommy." Yuugi's eyes clouded over. To his mommy… he could never go home to his mommy. He didn't have a mommy any more.

"Please… let me go home," Yuugi whimpered.

"Aww… how sweet." The man cooed. The boy shuddered. He had never heard such an awful and hideous coo before. It sounded remarkably like an evil witch in one of his story books. The man's face immediately clouded over before giving off an excited chuckle. "But not sweet enough. We'll going to have fun with him. Aren't we boys? So nice… and tender… he's probably never been blemished before." Yuugi gulped. He felt tears forming in his eyes yet didn't let them show… no… no he wasn't going to cry… no… he couldn't cry. He wasn't going to show fear… especially not now in front his predator. That's what the predator wants… longs for… his prey to fear him… and Yuugi wasn't about to show that fear. His vision blurred over as he felt his body being lifted into the air. Another hand grabbed his backpack and tore it open.

"Aww… he even plays with dolls." His amethyst eyes widened… _no… no_! When did he stick mou hitori no boku into his bag? Yet Yuugi didn't have time to dwell on the fate of his doll any more did he have time to dwell on his own fate as he felt an cold hand enclose around his neck… constricting his air passage. He felt his shoes being removed from his feet and then his socks. The boy hissed at the coldness of the air. He hadn't realized how cold it was, so ever so cold as his body advanced on him. His mind burned as he was thrown into the wall. A loud scream erupted from his lips taking away his last breath.

"Help," he croaked as his vision fizzled. He strained his neck attempting to break it then at least he could die before he lost his virginity. In his hazy line of vision, he managed to make out the outline of his doll. It was laying a couple of centimeters from him. He could almost reach it. It was so close… yet… yet so far away. They must have lost interest in it. Now, at least one of them was going to get out of this unharmed.  
The knife advanced upon his hand. He felt the blade slide down his hand. The cold, steel blade as it advanced down the length of his hand. He felt his own blood tickling down his hand… mixing and being imbedded into the steel of the knife before stopping at his wrist. The boy cringed. His advancers smirked before pressing down hard. Yuugi yelped. The man smirked. His wrist jerked. Yuugi screamed. He couldn't bring himself to look at his hand… see the slow flowing blood as it trickled down his arm. He felt his whole left hand burn… burn from the intensity of the pain. He felt another reach for the zipper of his pants.

Yet his amethyst eyes lingered on his lifelong friend. The now aged old Pharaoh doll… with its crimson eyes… its deep red crimson eyes. Its purple cape fluttered in breeze. Yuugi's eyes softened.

 _Please… please whoever finds my dead body… please give mou hitori no boku to a good family… to someone who will take better care of him… better than I have._ Tears fell from his eyes. He felt the salt drops enter his lips. Just as he blacked out he thought he saw a blinding gold light.

Followed by… a strong… regal voice. "Let's play a game."


	3. Yuugi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically this chapter builds up the plot a lot. It's kind of disturbing and a little graphic hence the added tag. Basically… uh… read this chapter with an empty stomach.

A beam of sunlight radiated into the room of a two-story store. A sixteen-year-old boy could be seen fast asleep in bed. His covers were drawn over his small frail body. Light breathing emitted from his lips. The boy whimpered before his amethyst eyes flirted open. Confused and disoriented, the boy sat up only to find himself in bed. He was dressed in his baby blue pajamas with little yellow stars. The clothes he had worn the day before were in a neat heap on the ground beside his bed. He groaned for he was confused. He stifled another yawn as he raised his left hand only to notice it was haphazardly wrapped in a piece of cloth. Red dried blood stained the wrapping.

Like a whirlwind, he felt his memories hurling back at him. The boy remembered. He remembered his late night excursion to the store to rent a video only to run into those three men. Yuugi trembled. He remembered how one of them had cut his hand while another had held him down. But… something… no someone must have saved him, but who?  Who was that person that had saved him when he thought all hope was lost?

_Let's play a game._

His savior had said that. It was powerful voice. It was filled with confidence. Something Yuugi wished he possessed. But more than anything, he wished he had seen his savior's face, so he could at least say 'arigotou'. But that was impossible if all he had was a voice. It was something that he wasn't quite sure he could trust. After all just a second later he had blacked out.

Yuugi sighed before getting up. But still that didn't answer his other question.  _How did he get home?_   Unless his savior knew where he lived.  _How did he get home?_ Deciding not to dwell on something so trivial and impossible to answer, Yuugi walked over to his closet and pulled out a loose t-shirt and a pair of pants. He hoped it was still Sunday… if not, he surely wasn't going to school… not at noon...and especially not with his homework incomplete.

Once dressed, Yuugi walked over to the window and opened it. He sighed in contentment at the feeling of the autumn air as it blew past him. Even the normally noisy sounding traffic didn't seem to bug Yuugi today. Today was a day of rebirth. He was going to enjoy today. He was going to go to the beach after he finished all his homework. He hadn't gone to the beach in a long time, but somehow today the salty sea air called out to him. He blew a bubble with his saliva. A puffy white cloud passed overhead.

"Arigotou whoever you are. Arigotou!" Yuugi shouted before breaking into a fit of giggle especially when a passing pedestrian looked up at him peculiarly. But for once… his shyness didn't take over him.

"Ohayo!" He called at the pedestrian. The pedestrian returned the gesture with a faint wave and a small smile.

If it had been any other day, Yuugi would have immediately concluded that the passer-by thought he was insane, but today he didn't care. Yuugi waited for the person to turn the block before closing his window and walked away only to catch the glaze of mou hitori no boku. Its normal smile was imprinted upon its face causing Yuugi's smile to brighten. He back stepped and picked up the doll cradling it in his arms.

Playfully Yuugi asked. "Did you see the person who saved us?" Yuugi giggled. He didn't wait for an answer. Instead he ran out of the room with his doll in hands.

For once it didn't bother him that his grandfather wasn't home. A tune played on his lips as Yuugi sat the doll on a chair before walking over to the stove. He reached for the bag of rice and measured out one cup full before setting it over the flame.

"One egg or two?" Yuugi asked to the doll. He craned his head as he looked back at the doll. Once more Yuugi didn't wait for an answer, and it didn't bug him that he would never get an answer. Instead he reached for two eggs and simultaneously cracked both open. Yuugi continued to hum as he cooked. He fried the eggs and mixed a sauce. Ten minutes later breakfast was served: two heaping platefuls, one for each of them. Yuugi giggled as he set one before mou hitori no boku and the other for himself.

Ten minutes later, Yuugi rose from his seat. His plate was clean. The one before the doll was still as full as it had been ten minutes earlier. Yuugi sighed before licking his lips. "Oh well. I guess you still aren't use to Japanese food. I know! I'll go to the bookstore and find some Egyptian cookbooks. What do you think mou hitori no boku?" Like before Yuugi didn't wait for an answer, instead he picked up the plate full of breakfast and set it back in the refrigerator before washing his own.

An hour later, Yuugi sighed as he forced himself into a full body stretch. He had long retreated to his bedroom and had opened all the windows in his room allowing the warm, autumn sunlight and warm fall breeze be his only form of light and A/C. Three fourth of his homework was already complete. The boy drummed his pencil on his desk. His doll was seated not that far away. It was once again leaning on the small shelf that was attached to the wall above his desk. His amethyst eyes sparkled. A small 'o' formed upon his lips as he stuck the pencil to his lips lightly twirling it in his hands.

"I hate pre-calculus," Yuugi moaned. He still had three more pages of the book left unfinished, not to mention it was also getting late. He was wasting precious daylight doing annoying math. The boy groaned as he wrote down the solution to another problem before looking up to meet the glaze of the doll. Mou hitori no boku was always looking at him. It must be one of those illusions. Yuugi had long deduced that was the case. It was like those paintings where no matter where you stood the person in it would always be looking at you. Yuugi wasn't sure if it worked for dolls, but it was the only logical explanation.

"They should make a law. It should be illegal to give this much math homework on Saturdays." The boy groaned. He could have sworn the doll was taunting him just then… laughing at his frustration. A small pout appeared on Yuugi's lips. He twirled his pencil around his thumb and index finger before lightly jabbing the doll with it.

"Are you laughing at me?" Yuugi asked a little annoyed. Taking the doll's silence as a yes, the boy became even more annoyed. He slammed his pencil down on his table before shutting his math book. "You're not getting dinner!"

Silence.

"For the rest of the week!" Yuugi added. Still the doll looked on at him. Its taunting smile ever present.

Yuugi growled. "I'm going out!" His once happy mood broke as he grabbed his wallet and stormed out the shop. Still the doll said nothing. It didn't even blink when Yuugi returned ten minutes later, his face red.

The day ended on a sour note for Yuugi. His pride didn't allow him to say sorry as he finished his homework in a silence. He left the doll sitting on his desk when he went to bed that night.

 

XXXXXXXXX

 

A large yawn escaped Mutou Yuugi's lips as he walked into his classroom. Not many people were there yet, and Yuugi wasn't surprised. He had purposefully left early this morning since he couldn't bear to stay in the same house with mou hitori no boku.

_What irony!_

An inanimate object had just kicked him out of his own house. Now that didn't happen every single day.

"Mutou!" A voice shouted, startling the young boy from his mindless state.

"Huh?" He asked before looking up.

_Oh shit!_

It was his physical ed. teacher Karita-san. Yuugi had never been on good terms with the elder.  Mainly because one, he was never the physical type and two it didn't help that his first class of the day with him.

He had been on Karita's bad side since the high jump incident. Since he was short and compounded by the fact that he was horrible had any track event that ranged from running to jumping, it made everything harder. The elder had given him a pole that was two times taller than Yuugi was. Jounouchi thinking that it was the perfect time for Yuugi's next 'man' lessons ended up tripping the boy by accident. The pole went sailing without Yuugi and ended up hitting Karita square in the face. It had produced a nasty bruise on his face and broke his jaw. Ever since then Yuugi's physical ed. classes had been like hell.

"Yes, Karita-sensei," Yuugi replied. His face flustered as he dropped into a light bow.

"First Mutou, listen when you are first addressed. Two, don't speak till you are addressed. Three, never question me…"

"But… I…" Yuugi started before being abruptly cut off.

"Fourth, never argue with your elders. Haven't your parents taught you anything?"

"Karita-sensei! Karita-sensei!" A boy's shouts could be heard followed by the heavy footsteps of a boy. He was seventeen years of age; he was Yuugi's senpai. His breath was stained as he supported himself on the door-frame. Yuugi recognized him. He was on the school's basketball team. Domino High was famous for their basketball teams. They always ended up making it into the intercontinental championship with all of the country's best basketball teams.

"Kuro! What's the matter boy?" Karita-san immediately spun around. He placed his hand on younger man's shoulder and another on his back as if he was supporting him. Yuugi looked on in wonderment. He had never expected Karita-sensei to actually… well… care. Then again Kuro was one of the stars on the basketball team that Karita-sensei just so happen to coach. There was no debate that it was Karita's couching that always allowed the team to do so well. As a result Karita would receive a bonus for that month's salary when the team made to the championships.

"It… it's Yoko! He… he's hurt. He was practicing one of our plays when he twisted his leg. We… we think he broke it." Kuro exclaimed. Karita immediately paled. No matter how little Yuugi knew about the school's sports he knew that they did have a big game coming up soon, and that Yoko was their best three-point shooter.

"I'll deal with you later Mutou!" Karita growled before following Kuro outside where the team had been practicing. Yuugi sighed before sinking into the bottom of his chair. He was saved for once. Now he remembered why he never came to school early if he didn't have to. Karita was always there, and it usually resorted in Yuugi doing random things for him. They always ranged from laundry duty to sweeping the locker rooms. He could only blindly follow since he knew the school would never fire Karita. He was too valuable and that made Yuugi sick to his stomach.

Twenty minutes later, students and other teachers started showing up each with their own piece of juicy news. One piece seemed to practically stick out for the boy. Two girls, part of the school's cheer leading squad, were talking with a member of the track team, a handsome boy with short brown hair. Yuugi felt sick watching the way that they would flirt with him. How they would let out that annoying high pitch squeal when he spoke. Most of the girls in his class had long given up trying to get a date with Kaiba Seto who seemed to have a one track mind… business.

"And even now the police don't know what happened to them. There aren't any fatal marks or anything on them, yet the doctors claim it's like their minds have been ripped out of them or something."

The girls squealed. Yuugi's eyes widened. _No… it… it couldn't… could it?_

The young teen was in a daze for the rest of the day as he walked home and immediately ran to his room. He gave the doll a peculiar stare before letting out a loud, almost insane laugh. He pulled the doll into his lap. He lightly stroked its bangs. "Gomen ne, mou hitori no boku. I'm so sorry for venting on you like that yesterday. How about we go to the beach tomorrow? I'll skip school, and we can…" Soon Yuugi broke off. A small grin slowly formed on his lips. "You wouldn't like that would you? I bet you never skipped a lesson with your tutors. I bet you were a brilliant ruler of Egypt and ruled it with a strong hand. Ne, mou hitori no boku?"

Yuugi sighed setting the doll down on his bed before walking over to the desk. He sighed before starting his homework. A glint of light startled him. The sunlight had cast a glare onto the glass of the picture frame. _How the heck did that get there?_

Yuugi's brow furrowed. He didn't remember ever seeing the picture frame much less remember being in that picture. It was him when he was little with his parents and grandfather. Right before the Christmas when he received mou hitori no boku. His eyes watered. He forgot how pretty his mom was when she smiled. He forgot how his father used to tickle him when he would cuddle up close to him. His untrimmed whiskers use to bug the him to no end. Yuugi sighed before picking the picture frame up, lightly drawing circles around his parents' faces. He held back another wave of tears before reaching down and opening a drawer in his desk. It looked so dark and damp in there. It was the perfect resting place for his past, present and future… cold, dark and damp. Yuugi shivered as he set the picture frame upside down before shutting it away with it went his feelings, memories and emotions.

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

Two weeks had gone and past since the day that Yuugi was cornered in the dark alley. Two weeks since that person saved his life. Two long weeks of detention with Karita for doing absolutely nothing…

The old man had cornered the boy earlier that week when he had class with him. He made up this crazy story that Yuugi had cheated in his 2 km run which seemed quite peculiar considering the fact he had finished last. So he ended having to survive two long weeks of detention that resulted in him cleaning out the locker rooms, delivering water to the basketball team and washing the laundry by hand.

Yuugi shuttered at the memories. He could still feel the blisters that had developed on his fingers. He felt as if he had experienced military camp for the past two week. Strict discipline… absolutely no talking… punctuality…

At least it was finally Saturday night. Plus, an added bonus his grandfather was coming home later that night or the next morning depending if there was a layover in San Francisco.

A smile was present upon the boy's lips as he made his dinner. He didn't have that much homework, and his grandfather was coming home. Maybe someone in heaven finally acknowledged his plea of not having pre-cal homework over the weekend. Yuugi hissed as a drop of hot grease landed on his cheeks. He usually wasn't that careless when it came to making dinner. He hadn't burned himself in years, and it startled the boy. He quickly turned off the fire before rinsing his face off with ice cold water then coated his cheeks with a thin slab of salve.

The boy sighed… lightly tapping the tip of chopsticks to the table. He drew a deep breath and blew a piece of hair away from his eyes. His bangs fluttered.

The night drew on. The city lights were starting to darken. Yuugi sighed as he walked into his grandfather's translating shop. The rich heavenly smell of leather engulfed his olfactory system. He set his doll down on his grandfather's solid cherry table before he slipped into his grandfather's chair. It was on wheels and rolled. The boy giggled as he pushed the chair letting it go into a fast spin. Something he hadn't done in ages. When he was little, he would come into his grandfather's office and fool around. His grandfather didn't like it, but the customers always found Yuugi to be interesting. They always thought he was the most adorable thing they had ever seen. They loved to pinch his cheeks and play with his exotic tri-color hair.

That was one reason why Yuugi stopped coming in after he entered middle school. He had still retained his baby fat and being called cute in seventh grade was starting to bug Yuugi especially since it meant girls thought of him the same way. Feeling playful Yuugi decided to dig through his grandfather's stack of papers. It was the unfinished work that his grandfather had left behind before leaving for Mexico. Yuugi couldn't help but wonder when his grandfather's client had wanted the translation done. It had to be for one of those museums that were never in a hurry. That was the thing with museums. They could wait the longest time for something to be translated. They already had too much to show, so they were in no hurry to add another item to their collection.

"I wonder when Jii-chan's getting home, mou hitori no boku. I wish he would call us then we could go pick him up." Yuugi sighed.

He stroked the doll's long purple cape before doing one more spin around on the chair before stopping in front of the computer, his grandfather's newest computer. It was custom made by Arthur Hopkins' own genius granddaughter Rebecca.

A smile appeared on Yuugi's lips. He wondered what the young eleven-year-old was doing right now. She was genius… probably more of a genius than Yuugi was. Then again she did care more about her studies than Yuugi could ever care. His future didn't interest him as much as Rebecca cared about hers. The boy had only met the girl once or twice in his lifetime. Once when Rebecca was five, and the second time was on her tenth birthday. Rebecca and Arthur had come to visit them. The girl had brought one of her favorite games to try out with Yuugi, 'Monster World'. It was one of those newest tabletop RPG games by Industrial Illusions. At the end, Yuugi beat her much to Rebecca's dismay. After all she was one of the best Monster World game masters in the world and having a beginner beat her was not something she took too kindly. Rebecca ended up challenging the boy to multiple games; however, each time she lost. By the end of the week, the girl had somehow fallen in love with him much to Yuugi's horror. Unfortunately for him, both their grandfathers found it amusing and ended up encouraging Rebecca to continue to call him 'darling'.

The girl had even gone as far as trying to get Yuugi to agree to marriage once she turned eighteen. In her mind a five-year age difference was just right. Yuugi chuckled at his memories as he watched the computer connect to the Internet. He was very adamant on continuing to play Magic and Wizards, an online game where opponents across the world 'dueled' each other for the championship title of Duel King. There had been rumors running around for years that Industrial Illusions were making the game into one with actual cards and such… although the name was going to be changed.

"Yes!" Yuugi exclaimed twenty minutes later. It was his first duel of the day, and he had already broken his record. He had managed to win a match in less than thirty minutes. "Score!" He grinned happily as he watched his duel chips, the currency in the game, increase. It was just enough to buy that final piece of Exodia that he needed.

"Let's go out for ice cream, mou hitori no boku." Yuugi exclaimed picking up the doll. There wasn't anybody online who he really wanted to duel or more like those who wanted to duel him. But there was someone that Yuugi could always count on who always wanted to duel him at least once or twice a week. The person had the codename of Dragon Master. Yuugi suspected it was because Dragon Master had never beaten him in a game, and it seemed to aggravate the other to no end.

The boy sighed as he pocketed his wallet… just then… a strange scrapping sound could be heard at the door. Almost like cat… or some other animal… the boy shrugged it off. Probably a neighbor's cat that gotten loose, or the wind had blown off a piece of branch. The scratching continued much to Yuugi's annoyance.

He set the doll on the counter before walking to the door. Haphazardly he peeped through the window. It was a habit that he developed over the years. Nobody and nothing was there, yet the scratching sound continued. He cocked his eyebrow as he opened the door… only to find nothing. "Strange," Yuugi muttered.

A cold, gloved hand was placed upon his shoulders before moving up to his neck… slowly and surely. Yuugi jumped as he watched the hand slowly shimmer down the side of his body. Yuugi let out a small 'eep'. He smelled the faint trace of liquor and cigarettes mixed into one. "Hello, little one. Didn't your mommy and daddy teach you to never open the door at night?" The voice whispered… huskily and rough.

"W… what do you want?" Yuugi whimpered. "Money?" The boy croaked.

"Oh no… not money… kid. My master wants something more precious. Something that belongs to him. Something that you took from him!" The man muttered slowly his voice grew louder and louder before full bloom arrogance. He quickly turned the boy around. Yuugi let out a high pitch scream. His amethyst eyes widened. The man… no the creature had deformed appendages…one which vaguely resembled that of a face. "See what you have done to me!" The thing cried.

Tears transcended down Yuugi's face. He was horrified. There was no doubt about that. "I… I…!"

"Give it back!" The thing screamed. It shook the boy's body back and forth. "Give it back!" Yuugi continued to cry before feeling his throat hick. He felt his air passage become constricted as he felt a strange form of darkness transcend upon him. Slowly it crept and spread throughout his whole body.

"Help," Yuugi whimpered as he felt his body being thrown across the room before crashing into the wall. His vision blurred over as he thought he saw the thing morph. A dark light radiated from his body. His eyes rolled over as a golden light transversed the room followed by a voice of superiority.

"Let's play a game."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Yuugi! Yuugi! Wake up! Wake up!"

The boy groaned. His eyes fluttered as his vision came back into focus. In front of him, kneeling down was the face of concerned man, not just any man, but his grandfather.

Yuugi's eyes widened. "Jii… jii-chan," Yuugi whispered.

"Hai Yuugi." The man nodded. The boy's broken face immediately brightened as he threw his whole body weight upon his grandfather.

"Jii-chan… jii-chan. You're… you're home." Yuugi mumbled.

"Hai Yuugi. I… I'm so sorry. I… I shouldn't have left you alone. I just haven't been myself ever since your father and mother passed on. I seemed to have been trying to lose myself. Seeing the Mayan ruins… climbing to the top of their step pyramid. It revived me. I should have been there for you. We both lost people… dear to us. I… I shouldn't have made you stay…"

"Jii-chan," Yuugi interrupted aspirated.

"Hmm."

"What… what happened to that… that thing?"

"What thing?" Sugoroku questioned. His brows creased.

"This… this thing… creature… it… it was deformed and emitting dark energy. It… it tried to rob you Jii-chan." Yuugi explained only to see his grandfather's brow furrow even more. He looked so tired and sad. As if he had just aged over a century in such a short amount of time.

"Yuugi, please. Don't… don't."

"Don't what?" Yuugi asked confused. He too began to feel irritated as his grandfather continued to attempt to calm him. "There was… was this thing! There was this scratching sound. I opened the door. This… this thing said I took something that belonged to his… his master."

"Yuugi… you didn't steal anything did you?" Sugoroku's eyes widened.

"Iie!" Yuugi gasped horrified. "I… I would never."

"Just like you would never cut yourself," Sugoroku replied.

"Yes," Yuugi answered finding the question to be…rather peculiar. He felt a large slap run across his face. He felt it sting hours later. He could still remember his grandfather's distant looks. His muffled sobs. Hopkins-san and Rebecca had ran in… from what seemed to be nowhere and pulled Sugoroku away from him… after the initiate hit. He remembered feeling like a zombie transcending up the stairs to his room.

Now… hours later Yuugi's amethyst eyes were as dull as ever as he cradled his arm. Vivid cut marks were ever present along his arms. They were now red and pussy. Craved into his arm was a strange design. A serpent wrapped around an eye. He could hazily remember that a knife had been beside him. His wrist and hand were still bandaged with the same bandages that had been there two weeks earlier. His memory was hazy… _hadn't… hadn't he taken them off over a week ago? Or… or had he been too scared to unwind the bandages? Also was he too scared to think about the possibilities? Was… was he really going insane just like his grandfather must believe him to be? Had… had been the one who cut into his arm… and had… had he forced himself to believe that he was being attack to compensate for his pain and actions? And the incident two weeks earlier… when he found himself in bed. What… what if he… he never left the house in the first place… and… and it was himself that had cut into his flesh?_

After all there really is a fine line between illusion and reality. Yuugi gulped as he grabbed his legs and slowly rocked back and forth… back and forth. His bandaged arm… hanging limply beside him… red and slowly developing into that of purple. The boy gulped as he slowly unwrapped the bandages. Half praying, half hoping that there was nothing underneath the wrapping.

Yet… yet deep down he knew he wasn't that lucky. There… in the center of his hand was a strange dark hole. It led from his palm to the back of his hand. He was probably missing a piece of meat that was a centimeter wide in diameter. Yuugi glazed at his hand. He looked at it stupidly… turning his hand this way and that. A couple of times he would shake his hand as if testing if any more blood would flow from the wound, yet none did. A nearly insane chuckle transcended within him as Yuugi covered his hand once more with the bandage.

He couldn't help but wonder what his grandfather was doing. Maybe he was finding him a psychiatrist or something. Maybe… maybe he was even looking for a place to lock him away forever… one of those insane asylums.

But Yuugi also possessed the strangest of luck. Neither had occurred.

He returned to school that Monday. The only difference was, was he was no longer home alone, and Hopkins-san and Rebecca would be spending the month with them. Turned out that the Mayan culture might had more than just an idea on how to open the cross dimension than the Egyptians had. Thus they decided to devote their energy on Mayan hieroglyphics as opposed to Egyptian ones. And his grandfather was giving him odd looks all the time… as if he would collapse into his unstable form once more.

Only Rebecca treated him normally at the shop. She believed that her darling wasn't going insane. She was the only person that believed him.

Yuugi sighed as he left school. Karita had caught him again. The boy was starting to really despise the old man. He was like some annoying hindrance that just wouldn't leave him alone. Not only that but because he was staying after so late all the time, his grandfather was starting to suspect that he had joined some bike gang or something especially since he always came home looking so tired. The long bus ride home was as boring as ever. There weren't that many people out at night especially on a weeknight. Only an old lady with a cane… a middle age man reading a newspaper… and a mother and son. Hadn't he seen such a scene months earlier… before his parents' passing?

Before everything in his life changed… before… that night at the hospital when he started hallucinating. Only this time Yuugi didn't walk to the back of the bus. This time he didn't have a book by an English author to read. This time the bus didn't pull to a quick stop as the boy got off. For a second he was tempted to stay on… and ride around Domino for another two hours before going home… hoping… praying that if he rode the bus long enough… it could take him back into time… to that night when he received his parents' last letter. So that he could call them… and tell them that he still loved them… or even to warn them not to go to work that day. But he didn't do any of those things… instead he walked off the bus… feeling sorry for himself.

The light jiggling of the shop bell announced Yuugi's return. He found Rebecca in the living room watching a strange documentary. Her legs were curled up under her. She was balancing big bowl of popcorn on her thighs. He had never noticed till just then how much the young girl had aged. Just last year she was an ill tempered little girl not to mention a sore loser. Now, she was a college student and looked more grown up than Yuugi himself. The girl had obviously ditched her fuzzy teddy bear and gained a pair of specs. Unlike Yuugi, he still found refuge in mou hitori no boku. The pharaoh doll seemed to be his only form of companionship, and he could no longer imagine life without it.

"Darling! You're home," the young girl chirped breaking the near silence that had transcended in the room… beside the infrequent sound from the television. "Ojii-san and Sugoroku-jii-chan left for some meeting in Tokyo. They aren't going to be back until tomorrow. I made your dinner. It's on the table." Yuugi's cocked his head… surprised. "Don't worry. I didn't poison it."

"No… it's not that. Just… just arigotou." The boy muttered. "I really appreciate you…"

"Darling… darling is darling. I believe you," the girl chirped before returning to her program. A smile appeared upon Yuugi's lips… one that hadn't been there for days. As he walked into the kitchen once more, Rebecca called out to him. "Whoever that girl is that you like Darling, she is really lucky."

Yuugi immediately twirled around… confused. "Nani?"

Rebecca giggled. "I'm a girl remember?" Yuugi nodded before walking into the kitchen… lightly shaking his head. _Boy was Rebecca something._ Had circumstances been different… maybe… just maybe they really could have had been something.

Two hours later, Yuugi sighed… straining his neck before letting out an aspirated sigh. His paper was finally done. He watched as it exited his printer before bending down to grab his physic book. Ten pages of problems awaited him and a bunch of math and history. Yuugi hissed as his elbow glazed the side of his desk. He had bruised it when one of the guys on the basketball team had missed the basket, and it ended up hitting him instead.

"I hate Karita. I wish he would just die or something!" Yuugi grumbled. "I guess one can't have everything, ne mou hitori no boku?" Yuugi sighed as he lightly stroked the doll's face before returning to his studies.

Hours later, the small shop seemed to be asleep except for the lone light that was lit within Yuugi's bedroom. Minutes earlier the young boy had fallen asleep on his desk too tired to take a shower or anything. The light sound of a faint breathing emitted from his lips. The lights flickered once then twice before going out. A lone hand reached for the phone. A husky voice… mighty and powerful spoke… a pair of crimson eyes flashed in the darkness. A rustle of a long cape… before the door opened then quickly closed. The lone dial tone could faintly be heard.

Rebecca moaned as she sat up. Confused and disoriented at haven heard a door slam shut. Thoughts of a thief ran through her mind as she grabbed her robe and ran downstairs. As she entered Sugoroku's shop, the front door had just slammed shut. A small 'o' formed upon her lips as she ran to the window. There, the lone shape of a boy could be seen hurriedly running off. Rebecca's eyes furrowed. The shape of the boy vastly reminded her of Yuugi. After all how many boys out there had the same exotic hairstyle as her darling had, but what was Yuugi doing out so late?

Deciding that running after the boy would be futile, she settled in the couch waiting for his return. An hour later, Yuugi still hadn't returned as a result thoughts of sleep once again claimed the young girl. Her vision grew hazy as the front door opened once more. A circle of dark mist encircled the room. A pair of evil bloody red eyes flashed. Rebecca's eyes widened… terrified. Sleep left her as she let out a mighty scream.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Sunlight emitted into the small shop as Yuugi awoke. The faint sound of the beeping from his alarm clock sounded off. A loud moan escaped the boy's lips as he frantically stuffed his papers into his bag… praying that he had finished it all before falling asleep. A yawn left his lips as he ran downstairs. He wouldn't have time to make breakfast or lunch… instead he grabbed a hand full of money. There was a restaurant not far from his school, so he could buy something there.

He hasty grabbed his shoes before suddenly discovering that something was out of place. _Where was Rebecca?_

She was normally awake by this hour. Deciding that she must have had a long night, the boy went against shouting out a 'ja ne' before running out of the house. Unknowingly, a pair of horror filled eyes had been watching his movements. A young girl with blonde bangs could be seen crouching behind the couch. Her cell phone in hand, "one, two, three," the girl counted under her breath before dialing a number on her cell. Three short rings could be heard before an elder man's voice could be heard coming through.

"Ojiichan… please come back," the girl whimpered something she had never done before.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Mutou Yuugi sighed as he walked into his classroom. A large yawn left his lips. He felt so tired as if he hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep the night before.

"Ohayo," he mumbled offhand before collapsing into his seat. He closed his eyes, waiting for Jounouchi to try to catch him off guard. The young blond seemed to have given up giving him lessons on being strong and instead decided to scare it out of him. The seconds ticked by… still nothing. His amethyst eyes scanned the room afraid that Jounouchi had decided to test his patience for once. Only then did he realize that there was nobody in the classroom.

"Strange," muttered Yuugi getting up from his seat. He could have sworn it wasn't Sunday. After all, yesterday was only Friday, unless he had been sleeping for a lot longer than he had calculated. But that didn't make any sense… if he had overslept than Rebecca would have woken him up. Come to think of it. He hadn't seen Rebecca that morning anyways.

Yuugi bit his lips as he walked over to the window. It overlooked the playground. His mouth formed a large 'o'. It seemed that the whole student body was out there. They were standing around a large oak tree. Yuugi's brow furrowed. There were even policemen out there and an ambulance. _What in the world? Hopefully some chemistry experiment didn't explode again._

Yuugi quickly ran back to his locker and pulled on his shoes before walking out to the playground. There standing in the back, surrounded by her cheer leading friends was Anzu. Her chocolate brown eyes widened considerably. She was cradling her right hand while her fingers were playing with the bracelets hanging around her wrist. The other girls seemed to be sobbing or at least in shocked. Shyly Yuugi walked up to her. He hadn't talked to her since they kissed which was months ago.

"Anzu."

"Hmm, oh Yuugi," Anzu looked up startled. She waved away one of her friends before walking over to the boy. "I… I…" Her cheeks flushed pink. "I…"

"What happened?" Yuugi asked. He decided it would be best to avoid the topic of the kiss.

"Oh," Anzu's face immediately returned to normal. "You didn't hear?" A pause before Anzu waved it away. "Of course you didn't hear, or you wouldn't be asking. Something happened to Karita-sensei."

"Karita?" Yuugi gasped not sure he should attempt to feel bad or be jumping for joy. "As in the PE teacher?"

"Uh huh… something happened to him." Anzu added. She fidgeted a little.

"What?"

"They think his mind got stolen or something." Anzu muttered.

"What!" Yuugi gasped horrified. "H… how is that possible? Somebody stole his brain?"

Anzu nodded. "And… and cut off his ears." Yuugi's eyes widened. No matter how much he despised the old man. Nobody deserved that.

"Is… is he died?" Yuugi muttered. The girl bit her lips before nodding.

"Yeah. Classes are cut till next week, but they want us to stick around. They think that it's a serial killer."

"Serial killer?"

Once more Anzu turned around… seeing her friends crying. She bit her lips. "I… I got to go. Ask somebody else." With that she disappeared into the crowd… leaving a stunned Yuugi. As he stood there, everything around him seemed so far away. The trees… they seemed to curve in a nasty way. The people… they seemed so far away. A loud scream echoed through the playground… without knowing it… it came from Yuugi's own mouth… a loud, painful shriek as he felt that his own ears had been set on fire.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Yuugi let out an aspirated sighed as he walked through one of the Domino's largest department stores. Thousands of miniature stops were located on all ten floors yet after searching for over three hours he still hadn't found the thing that he was looking for. For some strange reason, Rebecca seemed to be petrified of him…afraid that any moment he would pull out a knife and chop her up into pieces. He wasn't sure why, but his grandfather didn't seem all that pleased when Rebecca had pleaded for them to hurry home. Since that day… two days prior, the day that Karita was found murdered his grandfather had been giving him even more frequent odd looks.

To appease his grandfather and hopefully win back Rebecca's trust, Yuugi decided to buy back her trust. No matter how low and undignified it was, that was unfortunately his last resort.

_What the heck does a genius child whose only eleven want… especially something that is cheap?_

Yuugi's cheeks fumed bright red. He could feel the pocketful of yen jiggling in his pants' pocket. He didn't have a lot, so he couldn't buy her a new computer or one of those high tech software.

The neon lights flashed before him attracting his attention. Yuugi's eyes widened to plate size. He was fully attracted to wide assortment of red, blue, orange, purple, blue, and green flashing lights. It was the new arcade that had just opened. He immediately shook his head and forced himself to back away. Only then did a small store near the north exit of the department store catch his fancy. There was a very tidy and clean store. He watched a couple exit. Both the man and woman were dressed in business attire. His brow furrowed before breaking into a smile. That's where people like Rebecca would go to one of those stores.

Afraid that the newly built arcade would draw him in further, Yuugi took off in fast paced walk into the store. There people with glasses… smart… genius folk dwelled. Gigantic computers littered the store and aisles and aisles of books covered the room.

"May I help you?" a little old man asked. He had a sly smile on his face and was playing with his fingers in an odd way.

"Uh… yes. Do… do you have… uh… anything…" Yuugi bit his lips. It wasn't until that very moment that he suddenly realized that he didn't have a clue what he wanted to buy for Rebecca. He didn't even know what she even liked. All he cared about up to this very moment was finding a store where studious people like Rebecca congregated.

"Uh…" Yuugi eyes wandered around the small shop before landing on a vase. There in the center of the store on a tall bookshelf was a beautiful vase. _Pottery! That's it! I'll get Rebecca pottery and some flowers! Girls like that kind of stuff… right?_

"Do… do you have any pottery for sell?" The boy questioned before receiving a peculiar look from the elder.

"Pottery?"

"Yes, pottery. I would like to buy some pottery for a… friend." Yuugi quickly clarified.

"Oh, pottery," the man's eyes lit up. "Of course we sell pottery. Follow me. We have some very fine selections in the back."

Yuugi simply nodded not quite sure if Rebecca even liked pottery. _After all, how many eleven-year-old girls liked pottery?_

Then again Rebecca wasn't a normal eleven-year-old. The boy's amethyst eyes immediately widened as he looked around the room. His eyes widened in awe. There were so many different kinds of pottery from all over the world.

"So… which one would you like." Yuugi's lips formed a small 'o' as he walked up and down the aisles intrigued by the different types.

"Err…"

"Hiruma-san! Hiruma-san!" A young girl's voice could be heard which broke Yuugi's train of thought. The young boy looked up and saw a young girl with short aquamarine hair color. She was holding a porcelain plate in her hands. Yuugi immediately backed away and slipped off his backpack.

"Hiruma-san! How could you?" the girl shouted. Yuugi cocked his head a little confused. He noticed that the young girl seemed to have been crying. The porcelain plate was still tightly clasped in her hands.

The sound of footsteps broke the tension that was slowly forming around the room as an elder man appeared. Perspiration covered his face, it was evident to Yuugi that the elder had been running.

"Harumi!' The man gasped immediately pulling the young girl to him. The girl's cheeks puffed up. Her haze colored flashed annoyance.

"Otousan! He cheated us!"

"Harumi, we don't have proof."

"Yes we do. He did! He did!"

Yuugi's brow cocked. _What in the world?_ "Uh… I…I" Yuugi started to feel a little uneasy at being caught in the client/ worker feud.

"No, wait. Kid don't leave yet. You can be our witness," Hiruma, most likely the store owner, said immediately grabbing on to Yuugi's wrist.

"I… I can always come back later. Jii-chan is going to be worried if I don't get home soon."

"No, really kid… I insist." Yuugi felt as if the other was giving him a hard desperate stare. The boy gulped before faintly nodding and returning the corner he was standing. He watched the scene play out. The young girl and her father were arguing how Hiruma had cheated them out of an authentic piece of pottery. He didn't know how it happened or even how it began.

Suddenly… one moment the piece of porcelain was in the girl's hands and the next it was in pieces on the ground. The beautiful hand crafted artwork was gone. It was smashed into dozens of pieces. Yuugi gasped. Harumi's tears cascaded down his face. Her father looked on stunned. While the shop owner let out a smirk.

"Well… there goes the evidence. You should be more careful next time," he said calmly. With that he turned his back and started walking out of the room.

Yuugi's face darkened. Anger boiled in his veins.

Seconds later a blinding gold light emitted throughout the room. "Matte Hiruma. How dare you trespass upon Harumi's soul! Let's play a game if you are not too scared."

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

A small yawn escaped Yuugi's lips. He groaned as he rubbed his eyes… clearing his hazy vision. His eyes widened as he found himself inside the arcade… in front of a fighting game… his favorite, and somehow his name was on the high score list.

_What in the world? How the heck did I end up here? Wasn't I just in some pottery store? Pottery!_

"Harumi! Her plate," Yuugi muttered immediately spinning around. His brow cocked as he ran outside. A loud crowd could be seen in front of the store he had just been in moments earlier.

"What in the world." Yuugi muttered. He was confused, yet he couldn't bring himself to walk over the crowd and ask what had happened. Half of him was afraid at what he might find. Luckily for him, at that moment in time, a man walked by.

"Wait, Uncle!" Yuugi shouted. Immediately the elder turned and saw the frantic young boy calling out to him.

"Yes, child."

"Uncle… what happened?"

"As in at Hiruma's shop."

Yuugi nodded.

"I shouldn't be telling you this, but…" The elder hesitated as if judging Yuugi. Whatever he was testing, Yuugi seemed to have passed for the elder continued. "Something… or someone attacked Hiruma. It's quite grotesque. It seems as if the culprit took out his mind and craved out his mouth."

Yuugi eyes widened.

He muttered a quiet 'arigotou' before hurrying back to the arcade machine he had been at minutes earlier.

He didn't know how he couldn't have noticed before, but laying next to his school bag was a porcelain plate much like the one that Harumi once owned. "Did… did I buy this?" Yuugi muttered not sure whether to be scared or relieved. Deciding that he didn't want to know… or simply didn't dare to find out, the boy quickly left the department store… the porcelain plate in hand.

The short… high pitched ringing of the golden bell sounded as Yuugi returned to his grandfather's shop to meet an unusual sight. There… sitting around the living room was Rebecca, Hopkins-san, and his grandfather. They all seemed so far away. The young girl was nested in her grandfather's lap still as terrified as always.

"Hi, I'm home," Yuugi muttered almost afraid to break the silence. Nobody answered. The boy bit his lips, unsure whether to proceed. He shifted back and forth on the balls of his feet. It was something he did quite often when he was nervous or unsure of himself. "I… I got you something, Rebecca."

The girl raised her brow. She was confused as Yuugi set a hasty wrapped present in front of her. She eyed it fearfully as if afraid to touch it. She looked at her grandfather, unsure of what to do.

"Go on Rebecca. Yuugi-chan must have spent a lot of effort in finding whatever it is for you. Go on, open it."

Rebecca nodded. She trusted her grandfather, yet then again she had once trusted her darling too. She eyed her darling some more, searching and scanning his eyes as if testing if he was lying to her, yet his amethyst eyes stayed pure. No malicious or evil aura seemed to be present. She decided to trust after all once she had trust him.

Yet the girl couldn't help but be careful as she slowly unwrapped the present to find the porcelain plate. She looked at it funnily. She ran her hands through it. Her lips formed a small 'o' before looking up and noticed Yuugi. His sincere and kind of clumsy look but it was full of love… platonic love. She felt tears protruding from her eyes as she left her grandfather's side and threw herself onto the boy. She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist.

The boy… too stunned… took a while before fully registering what had happened. A small smile slowly appeared on his lips as he too wrapped his arms around Rebecca.

"Arigotou, Darling. Arigotou." Rebecca muttered. Tears continued to cascade down her cheeks. "Gomen… gomen ne," she muttered over and over again.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Weeks then months passes since Rebecca and Hopkins-san had returned to America. Yet before leaving like always they promised to write and contact Sugoroku if they discovered anything new with the Mayan step pyramids. Yuugi trudged through the first half of the day. The school year was about to end. He was going to be in eleventh grade in about two months. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to sit in front of Jounouchi come next year.

He was in a particularly good mood. The weather hadn't been as cold as it had been lately. There were still traces of snow left over from snowstorm two nights ago. Yuugi sighed as he brushed back a piece of his blond bangs. He shifted his bag on his lap before drawing out a box. It was a board game that he just received from his grandfather for Christmas, and he was dying to play it. It was strange form of an RPG and could be played with one or more people. He broke the seal, salving the scent of a newly opened board game. He loved the scent of challenge.

"Hey, Yuugi," a girl chirped… causing the boy to look up. Immediately he felt like he couldn't stop himself from drooling as his childhood love stood before him. Anzu grinned. She winked at the boy before pulling up a seat. She randomly picked up one of the pieces from the box and lightly twirled it around her forefingers. "What are you playing?"

"Uh… Sword and Shield," Yuugi answered. he felt his face fuming bright red.

"Oh," Anzu said uninterestedly before glancing over at the strange pharaoh doll. Yuugi's face immediately burned red as he reached for the doll as Anzu did the same… only to have another beat them both.

"Wow. I didn't know Yuugi still played with little dollies. Did you Honda?"

Yuugi groaned… afraid to look up. His face gained an added shade of red as he looked up. A smirk had appeared on Jounouchi's lips as he juggled the doll in his hands. "Aww… it even looks like him. Here catch, Honda!"

With that… Yuugi's eyes widened as the doll sailed through the sky landing in Honda's arms. The brunette looked at the doll with dissatisfaction as he turned it this way and that.

"It's so poorly made. Even my nephew wouldn't like this mess." Honda smirked. "You can have it back Jounouchi." Once more the doll landed with a thump in Jounouchi's arms.

His amethyst eyes widened. He slammed his fist hard on the table… startling both Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu. "Give it back," Yuugi shouted.

"Make me. Fight me!" Jounouchi taunted. A smirk appeared on his face. "Prove you are a man."

"No! No! I don't like fighting!" Yuugi shouted. Tears fell from his eyes as he watched his best friend sail through the air, yet he was too weak to get it back from them.

Anzu watched the scene in wonderment. A smile formed on her lips. She had finally found a boy who didn't like fighting. Lightly, she set her hand on Yuugi's shoulder. She watched as Honda threw the doll back. She watched it form a parabola… how it sailed so smoothly through the air. With a quick wrist movement she grabbed the doll just before it was about to land in Jounouchi's arms. Both, Jounouchi and Honda's eyes widened as Anzu handed the doll back to Yuugi. The boy's face now bright red as she scolded them.

_Anzu, arigotou._

Yet none of the five knew that they were being watched. An older boy… in their same grade level but in a different class had been watching the encounter with a smirk on his face. Money and payment were the only things on his mind as he cornered Yuugi later that day.

"Hey kid!" Yuugi immediately skid to a stop. He gulped before looking back. Ushio… the class bully when they were little, now reformed and had been upgraded to class monitor.

"Yuugi-kun, right?"

Yuugi merely nodded. He had heard rumors about Ushio. None of them had been pleasant ones. For a while now, Yuugi had managed to escape Ushio's trap. He had managed to avoid the older as much as possible.

"I… I just want to say. I'm sorry for beating you up when you were younger." Yuugi's brow furrowed. He had always learned to never take apologies lightly especially from people like Ushio.

"Uh… okay."

"No… I… I did a lot of bad things to you when we were younger." Ushio bit his lips. Yuugi cocked his head. _Was Ushio actually thinking? He looked really weird doing it._ "I know! I'll be your bodyguard. I'll protect you for a month. What do you think?"

"Err… okay," Yuugi shrugged not sure what to say. He was half-afraid that if he declined Ushio would actually end up beating him up but there had to be some kind of a catch.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

A week passed and strangely enough nothing happened. Yuugi let out a sigh as another day of class ended, and Jounouchi and Honda hadn't bothered him since the incident with mou hitori no boku and Anzu. As for Anzu, she seemed to have reverted back to keeping her distance. Girls like Anzu really did have really strange mood swings. He felt like singing as he exited the school. Nothing could get better… till…

"Hey Yuugi!"

Till he heard Ushio's disgustly monstrous voice called out to him. Yuugi immediately turned around. He felt his blood chill. Lying by the side of the school and stumped over were Jounouchi and Honda. Bruises covered the majority of their bodies. The towering inferno of Ushio was laughing as Yuugi walked over.

"Yes."

"What do you think? I'm a pretty good bodyguard, ne? I beat up these guys for you. What do you think?" Ushio let out another insane chuckle before kicking Jounouchi's side.

"No! Stop!" Yuugi screamed. His amethyst eyes widened. No matter how much he didn't like Jounouchi and Honda's teasing. They still didn't deserve this.

"Stop!" Yuugi screamed before latching onto Ushio's arms. Yet Ushio didn't stop. Adrenaline had long over taken him. He continued to kick the two boys.

"Stop! Stop!" Yuugi screamed. He shouted and even tried punching Ushio's arms to no avail.

"They… they're my friends!" Yuugi shouted unable to contain him. He didn't know why he said that. Maybe it was a secret longing to be friends with Jounouchi and Honda. Maybe it was because he thought it was the only way to get Ushio to stop. What was the reason, he gasped as if he felt that hot acid had just been poured out of his throat. It had been years since he said that word aloud. It was almost a taboo word in his mind. Yet it seemed to have to opposite effect on Ushio. Instead of stopping, Ushio seemed to have gotten angrier.

He threw Yuugi to the wall. The boy screamed as he felt as if his pelvic bone had just been cracked upon impact. The beating continued. He felt his eye sight fog up. He could have sworn he heard Jounouchi gasp before blacking out.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Amethyst eyes fluttered open. Yuugi sighed as he gazed up at pure white wash floors. The faint beeping of an all too familiar machine. He was at the hospital. He didn't even have to shift to his left before realizing that. Yuugi sighed as thoughts of what had happened moments before he had blacked out intruded upon his mind. He had been trying to protect Jounouchi and Honda from getting further beaten up. He had proclaimed that they were his friends. He remembered Jounouchi's concerned face moments before falling unconscious. He didn't know what had he come over him. Had it been even months or a year earlier he wasn't sure how he would have handled the situation.

_Would he have stood up for them? Protected them so willingly?_

Somehow without realizing it, he seemed to have gained confidence as he started to lose his memory. Yuugi hadn't revealed it to anyone, but since his birthday he had been blacking out for long periods of time without knowing what or where he was, yet he always seem to wake up in a safe place. Yet… yet every time… he always heard that same confident voice 'let's play a game'.

That was his goal. The person he looked up to. The owner of that voice, Yuugi longed to be as brave as that person, and maybe that's how he gained the strength to stand up for Jounouchi and Honda like that.

Only then did Yuugi notice the husky labored breathing in the bed adjacent to his own. The boy groaned as he sat up only then did he notice that he had only sprained his wrist and bruised his torso. It must be from the added immunity of spending so much time in the hospital when he was little. It wasn't something that he particularly liked. Yuugi tilted his head as he noticed the blond mass of hair exposed in the other bed.

"Jounouchi," Yuugi muttered. He looks so broken up. Yuugi raised his right hand; it hovered over his left arm. He bit his lips. He hadn't pulled out an IV tube in years. He used to have a habit of disconnecting them when he was little when it became too painful or when he just wanted to get up and walk around. To him the mere sting of removing the tube was worth the moments of relief. He looked at his limp hand stupidly as the tube came undone. He groaned as he walked across the room. At least they had the decency to get keep his clothes on him.

"Jounouchi," Yuugi whispered once more. He watched the other open his eyes slowly. He seemed to be heavily drugged.

"Yuugi?" Jounouchi whispered. He seemed so lost and confused.

"Yeah, it's me," Yuugi answered meekly not sure if that was the answer Jounouchi wanted to hear.

Yet when he watched the blond's face grow calmer, he knew he had answered right. Jounouchi was obviously hurting. His voice was strained

"Help…" he muttered. "U… Ushio… Ushio… stole… stole m… my S… Shizuka."

"Shizuka?" Yuugi's brow furrowed.

"He… he stole her."

"Huh?" It wasn't until then did he notice that something really was missing from Jounouchi's body. It was something that he would never remove. Once a long time ago, a boy had tried to remove it. Jounouchi nearly broke the boy's arm had a teacher not stopped him.

"Your necklace." It looked like a dog tag. He always wore it around his neck. Everything clicked into place now for Yuugi. Whatever it was, it wasn't just a dog tag. There must have been a picture or something. Whoever this Shizuka was, she was obviously very important to Jounouchi. Yuugi watched Jounouchi's eyes cloud over before opening his mouth once more.

"Arigotou… Yuugi," he croaked out. "Gomen ne. You really are s…strong."

He felt tears protruding from his amethyst eyes. He watched as Jounouchi fell asleep. Yuugi clutched his fist… hatred eloped him as he turned around. Only then did he notice mou hitori no boku sitting on the desk by his bed. Like always the doll's face carried that same caring look on its face. Yuugi nodded. A grin appeared on his face.

"Yes, I promise you Jounouchi. I will get your Shizuka back." With that Yuugi grabbed the doll. As his hands came in contact with the doll, he suddenly felt faint.

_Iie… Jounouchi-kun… Shizuka._

Yuugi gasped as he felt his heart beat quicken. Darkness overwhelmed him. A blinding white light eloped the room.

"You will pay Ushio! Time for a game."

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Sunlight was cast into the hospital room as Jounouchi awoke. He groaned, shifting his hand. Only then did he notice the cold hard metal touching his skin. He raised his hand. A metal chain was dangling from his hand. His dog tag like picture frame was clasped in his hand.

Jounouchi smiled.

"Yuugi," he whispered remembering waking up last night and seeing Yuugi leaning over him. _Could Yuugi have heard and gotten the tag back from Ushio for him?_ He turned his head. There sitting up on the corner of his bed with his back to him was Yuugi. The boy looked hunched over and a little disheveled.

"Yuugi."

No comment.

Once more Jounouchi called out to the boy. It wasn't till many calls later that Yuugi looked again. His eyes were red.

"Jo… Jounouchi-kun… I… I mean…" Yuugi started. He looked flustered and shy.

"It's okay Yuugi. I… I want to say… say gomen," Jounouchi blushed. "Y… you were really brave yesterday… standing up for Honda and me. You even got this back for me." Jounouchi raised his necklace. It caused the boy to cock his head a little confused.

_I… I did?_

"I… it was the least I… I could do. It kind of was my fault."

"Nah, it wasn't. People told me you like games and stuff," Jounouchi sniffed and rubbed his nose. His cheeks turned red before he spoke once more. "A… and riddles."

Yuugi nodded happily. "Yeah… I like riddles."

"Good, cause I have a riddle for you. What's something that you can't see, but you can shown?" A strange confused look covered Yuugi's face. It caused Jounouchi to chuckle.

The boy couldn't help but admit defeat as Jounouchi answered with a confident smirk 'friendship'.

Yuugi's face immediately broke into a grin. "Y… you mean… we… we…"

"Yep. We're friends."

"Friends," Yuugi muttered ten minutes later. _Him and Jounouchi were friends. After nearly half a year later, was his birthday wish finally coming true? Was he finally gaining his first friend?_

It got even better after that. Jounouchi asked him to go with him to a gaming convention in Tokyo. There would be a wide assortment of games on display there. It even included the newest games not yet released to the general public. In some strange twist of fate Jounouchi had managed to win two tickets to the convention by answering a radio question right. Honda wasn't that into games, and since he had just became friends with Yuugi, who loved games, it was a no brainer. He couldn't help but jump for joy as he ran through the streets to school. For some strange reason he wanted to come to school today.

As he entered to school gates, there a mob of muttering students and teachers gathered around an ash tree located near the entrance to the grounds. Yuugi walked over to the students. Nothing liked this hadn't happened since Karita was attacked and murdered months earlier. Somehow, in some strange twist of fate he managed to push his way to the front.

His eyes widened. He felt sick.

There, lying in a strange position was Ushio.

There was no doubt about it. He was definitely dead and probably from intensive blood loss. But it wasn't the dead body that bugged Yuugi, it was what surrounded the body. In front of the body, lying just mere centimeters away in what seemed like Ushio's own fingers was the word 'greed' written in kanji. The fingers seemed to be drenched in what was looked like blood.

Yuugi gasped, horrified and sicken for numerous reasons. _One, how did Jounouchi get his necklace back? Two, why did he seem to feel like he knew how the crime was committed?_

Yuugi felt sick to the pit of his stomach as he pushed his way out of the crowd. His once desire in coming to school was quickly drenched from his system as he ran down the street… back to the bus stop to catch a bus home. He longed to go home. He couldn't bear to go back to the hospital and see Jounouchi again.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

One month later, break finally rolled in. It was short a New Year break before school started up again. Yuugi couldn't help but smile as hopped off the magnet train followed by Jounouchi.

Both had their bags on their back. Both were exhausted but excited since they had gotten up at five that morning to make sure they caught an early train. The earlier the train the less people would be on and neither liked a fully crowded train with sweaty and hot people.

"I really want to see the arcade games," Jounouchi exclaimed as they walked out of the train station. The park where the convention was held was only a five minute walk away.

"Yeah, I know! I can't wait to see what kind of games they are making. And… and RPG games, board games, and trading card games too," Yuugi exclaimed.

"Trading card games?"

"Uh huh. Haven't you heard? Industrial Illusions is really going to make Magic and Wizards, a card game played on the computer," Yuugi clarified noticing how lost Jounouchi seemed to be, "into real game that anyone can play. I love that game."

The young blond simply nodded as they entered the park. Jounouchi handed their tickets over. Both boys were given a map of the pars, and where all the booths were. Both boys' eyes widened. It was so crowded and lively. The whole park was decorated with an assortment of banners, balloons, and streamers. Children and grown-ups were everywhere. It was even bigger than the fairs that were held annually back in Domino.

"We got to see everything," Yuugi gasped. This was paradise. Something he had dreamt of seeing his whole life. A loud grumbling sound interrupted his thoughts as Yuugi looked up to see Jounouchi blushing. The shorter immediately giggled.

"I… I guess I'm… I'm kind of hungry. I… I know. I'll go get us some food and meet you…" The boy unfolded the map and pointed to the center of the park. "Here… in half an hour."

"Okay," Yuugi nodded. "I'll go find us a spot." With that the two split up.

Yuugi was in awe at all the newest games that he passed by. He kept making mental notes of all the booths that he wanted to come back to especially the booth with games from all over the world. There was even an Egyptian exhibit. He hadn't played a game from Egypt since he was really little. As he made his way to the center of the park, a group of people were already crowded around an area that looked to be roped off. His brow furrowed as he walked up. He pushed his way through. He mentally cursed at his height.

His eyes widened. There sitting in the center in front of a small wooden table, looking as arrogant as ever was "Kaiba Seto," Yuugi gasped. The other, the multi-millionaire of a huge gaming company seemed to have heard as he looked up.

"Mutou Yuugi." The boy smirked. _Perfect._ "Hey, Yuugi! Play a game with me."

"Game? Me?" Yuugi asked confused.

Kaiba nodded. The crowd went wild. They all seemed to know about Kaiba's winning streak except for this boy. And it seemed like fun beating such a child.

"Uh huh. Play a game of chess with me. It'll be fun. What do you think?" Kaiba smirked. He knew a lot about Yuugi already. He knew that the boy loved games and would never turn down a challenge that involved games.

"Okay." Yuugi nodded. He hadn't played chess in a long time. The last time was with his grandfather's computer before he discovered Magic and Wizards. He climbed over the yellow tape and popped himself down in front of Kaiba. The young CEO smirked.

"I'll let you be white."

"Okay." Yuugi nodded. His amethyst eyes narrowed. A grinned appeared on his face… his gaming face.

"Game start."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was one long chapter. I don't think I have ever written a chapter this long before. I'm not sure if it was such a good idea having so many different things happen to Yuugi and so many games yet not once did I actually write what exactly happened in the games. I did give hints, but that was about it.


	4. Tomodachi

Both boys could be seen with sweat trailing down the other's face. Both Yuugi and Kaiba's bangs were drenched with sweat. They were now hanging limply over their foreheads. A nice size pile of chess pieces were piled beside both boys. There was only a couple moves left before a winner would emerge. "Ganbatte Yuugi!" Jounouchi shouted from the sidelines. He had appeared ten minutes earlier. He was carrying an armful of carnival food. Half of a hot dog was currently sticking out of his mouth. He had initially been very surprised when he found Yuugi playing a game of chess with Kaiba, but now seeing old money bags squirm amused Jounouchi to no end.

Yuugi's brow furrowed. He studied the board carefully. He felt nothing but pure excitement in his stomach. He had never played such an exciting game before especially not with someone as talented as Kaiba Seto in chess. Playing with the computer just wasn't as fun as playing with a real live person. He studied the board. It would be a close match. There was no doubt about that. He chose his pawn and moved it two spaces.

As his fingers escaped the crystal surface, Yuugi's heart sank. Kaiba smirked. He hadn't noticed initially that by moving his pawn, he was essentially giving Kaiba the game. The crowd groaned. They too seemed to have noticed Yuugi's mistake. Since half way through the game, when Yuugi gained the upper hand they had started to root for him. They started to invest in the idea of dethroning the Chess King. Only Jounouchi who have never played a game of chess before did not notice Yuugi's game changing mistake. Confusion clouded him. "What… what happened?"

"Check," Seto smirked as he moved his own black piece into place. Yuugi sighed. He had fun playing Kaiba. There was no doubt about that, but in the end the better player still won. Yuugi nodded. He studied the board for any loop holes or miscalculations that they might have both overlooked. Unfortunately, the game was flawless… no… a tint of white caught his eye. His knight… he had completely forgotten about it. All was not lost. He might even be able to turn the tide. Yuugi grinned as he reached for it and overtook Kaiba's castle. The young CEO's eyes widened. A string of low curses only Yuugi could have possibly have heard left Kaiba's lips.

He had been careless. Kaiba sighed. His moment of glory lost. Three moves later, Yuugi spoke the final game ending words "checkmate". With that the game ended, Kaiba sat stunned. He had hoped for a hundred wins and no losses, but Yuugi had beaten him. A little broken down boy who just one month earlier had no friends and who would have never dared to play a game with him had just beaten him. The crowd cheered Yuugi on as the young boy grinned. "Great game, Kaiba-kun! I… I have never played such an exciting game before. Let's play again sometime." Yuugi chirped before Jounouchi grabbed him around the waist and lightly rustled his bangs. Yuugi grinned. He was startled when Jounouchi stuffed a hamburger into his mouth. It took a couple of second and a few stomps on the blond's feet before Yuugi managed to swallow the hamburger. He stared at the blond… a little annoyed before breaking into a chain of giggles.

"Come on Yuugi. Let's let Kaiba wallow in his defeat. We still have a lot of stuff to see." Yuugi narrowed his eyes a little annoyed at Jounouchi's remark. He knew that the blond didn't like Kaiba but still taunting him after a defeat was a little too much.

"Aww… Jounouchi-kun, can't you be a little nicer to Kaiba-kun for once?" Jounouchi bit his lips. Yuugi couldn't help but giggle. Jounouchi looked so amusing when he tried to think.

"Iie."

Yuugi sighed as he shook his head before following Jounouchi out of the ring. As he exited, he slipped a glance back at Kaiba. The brunette still seemed to be in shock. His blue eyes were locked on the chessboard. _Kaiba-kun really is a good gamer. I… I really would love to play him again someday._

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Both boys looked tired as they boarded the eleven o'clock train back to Domino that wouldn't arrive until past midnight. A stack of souvenirs, prizes, and trial games were piled in their seats. A grin glazed Yuugi's lips as he looking attentively at Jounouchi. The blond seemed ready to pass out from exhaustion. "Arigotou Jounouchi-kun." The blond blushed.

"Don't mention it Yuugi. It's the least I could do after being a jerk to you for all those years." Yuugi giggled before nodding.

"We were all jerks when we were little, and we still are."

"Nah Yuugi. You aren't. Now Kaiba, old moneybags, is a completely different story. Did you see the way he was staring at you when we left? Scary."

Yuugi couldn't help but giggle. "I'm sure he just wants a rematch or something."

"Don't give it to him. Make him squirm." Jounouchi suggested causing Yuugi to shake his head a little aspirated.

"Jounouchi-kun! I can't do that. That goes against all rules that a gamer follows. It's a mutual contract that all true gamers follow."

Jounouchi sighed before sinking deeper into his seat. "I'll never get you and your morals and such."

Yuugi couldn't help but laugh before falling into silence. The rest of the trip home was spent in silence. The light sound of Jounouchi snoring and the faint sound of the pit pat of rain that cascaded onto the train. Yuugi let out a heavy sigh as he leaned against the window. Every now and then he would slip a glance at Jounouchi. He couldn't help but smile. Had somebody told him just months earlier that he and Jounouchi would be friends, Yuugi might have laughed or even blushed. But now, here there were on a train… together… just minutes prior laughing together.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Seriously Yuugi, you didn't have to," Jounouchi commented once more. The other shrugged his shoulders. His legs were swinging below him. He fumbled with his fingers before sighing.

"I wanted to, Jounouchi-kun. Besides… it's cheaper than going to the arcade."

"This is detention," the blond rebutted… aspirated.

"So, it's not like the sensei actually cares what we do," Yuugi answered. "I mean if she did care. Do you think I could be sitting on your desk, and we could be talking like this?"

"Aww, Yuugi. Seriously, you…"

"Jounouchi-kun, stop." Yuugi sighed. He was a little annoyed that the blond wouldn't just give it up.

School had started a week ago and much to Yuugi's amusement he still sat in front of Jounouchi. Yet now he didn't have to worry about spit-balls being flung into his hair. He now had to contend with short notes that the blond would pass to him. And somehow miraculously in a mere six days, Jounouchi had already been in detention for three of those days. With Jounouchi in detention and his grandfather once again in America to conduct research with Hopkins-san, Yuugi had nothing better to do then accompany Jounouchi to detention. During the three days, they had discovered many fascinating things about each other: how Jounouchi was petrified of ghosts, haunted houses and scary movies all to Yuugi's amusement. He had always imagined Jounouchi to be fearless after all those 'how to be a man' lessons that the blond used to give him, yet Yuugi never said anything. "I know. Let's play a card game."

"Card game?" Jounouchi's brow furrowed. Images of a man yelling, a girl sobbing, and a chair breaking came to mind. The blond trembled only Yuugi didn't notice.

"Yeah, card game. We… we can play…" Yuugi bit his lips as he pulled out a package of cards from his backpack. He took them out and shuffled them over and over again, "Black jack."

"Black jack?" Jounouchi's brow rose. "Uh… how about…" The blond fidgeted. A girl with long flowing hair and lovely maroon colored eyes that twinkled when she dealt her cards came to mind. She had a pretty voice; it was strong and powerful. Jounouchi immediately blushed causing Yuugi to laugh.

"Okay… who is it? Who's the lucky girl that made you blush when you think about blackjack?"

"Hey! What gives? Is today pick on Jounouchi day?" The blond asked hurt which caused Yuugi to laugh even more. Yet Jounouchi didn't laugh…

_The girl with the long blonde hair. It was on a boat a couple of years ago. Before everything came crashing down on him, he had gone on a casino boat._

_It was the last night. He had wandered onto the gambling deck, and there she was. She was dressed in her fancy black bo wtie, white shirt, and a black vest. He immediately blushed when he saw her. He watched her movements in the shadow. They flowed as she dealt out the cards… flawlessly. Even if there had been a slight of hand, he wouldn't have known. She was perfect, yet much too old for him. He ended up watching her for the rest of the night and wondering if she even realized that he was watching her._

_He watched the numerous males buying her drinks, trying to impress her. Hours later he watched her lock away the cards and calculate the sum that she had made that night. He watched her labor over the cash register… a frown on her face. Creases covered her forehead. Someday they would develop into wrinkles, yet even then he doubted that she would lose that delicacy and superiority that she carried herself with. He watched her finger with her wine glass. A little bit of wine was still left. A pencil was being twirled around in her other hand. A large pile of cash was piled in front of her more than he had ever seen before, yet she didn't seem happy. It was then that he had made his move._

_"Hey." The young woman said nothing. She only eyed him funnily. Jounouchi blushed even more… a little uncomfortably "Hello. Y… you have a lot of talent."_

_"Tsk… tsk hone." The young woman teased. She ran her fingers through her blonde hair before letting out a sigh. Three or four strands of blonde hair interlaced around her fingers. She lightly shook them off before returning to her conversation with Jounouchi. "Rule number one, when trying to obtain a date don't state the obvious. Rule number two don't state something the other doesn't want to hear. Both hone you have just broken." With that the young woman about eighteen or nineteen stood up. She emptied out her wineglass before setting it down on the counter. Absentmindedly and mainly to test her boundaries, she lightly ruffled Jounouchi's blond bangs. Jounouchi made no movement. The woman smiled and decided to go forward. She raised her index finger to her lips before coating it with a thin paste of her own saliva. She grinned at Jounouchi. Her maroon eyes twinkled._

_Jounouchi gulped. His face burned red. Lightly and precariously, she ran her index finger across Jounouchi's lips, stunning the boy. Jounouchi felt himself melt away. His honey brown eyes stood transfixed upon the young woman. Her body seemed to radiant a holy white light. She looked like a saint coming to save him, to be with him forever. The young woman sighed… a little dejectedly. "_

_If only you were two years early and five years older. I would have gladly gone to bed with you." With that, the woman left. Her day's earnings cradled in her arms. She left a stunned Jounouchi. He watched her swaying her hips which carried her away from him forever. That was the first time he had ever been dumped. He never forgot that woman. He never forgot the pain in her eyes as she walked away._

"Jounouchi-kun… Jounouchi-kun." Yuugi's voice entered into Jounouchi's mind… startling the young blond.

"Huh?" The boy opened his honey brown eyes. It wasn't until then did he realize that he had them closed. A pair of large amethyst eyes filled with worry was only inches from his face. "WAA!" He screamed immediately leaping up. The cards that Yuugi had dealt to him were flung into the air before slowly fluttering downwards. Yuugi couldn't help but giggle at seeing the cards land on his best friend. It was almost too comical. Jounouchi pouted before sitting himself back down. He handed Yuugi his portion of the deck. Yuugi's smile flopped.

"Gomen Jounouchi-kun. Maybe we shouldn't play blackjack."

Seeing Yuugi's depressed form, the blond immediately regretted his actions. "Nah… don't worry about it Yuugi. You just startled me. That's all. Besides… we need chips for blackjack. We can play something else."

"What?"

"Uh… how about… 'go fish'." Yuugi's eyes widened. He immediately saw the humor in the situation.

"Hey! I like 'go fish', mind you." Yuugi stated. He pouted before lightly and playfully swinging at Jounouchi. The blond ducked before sticking out his tongue at Yuugi. The tri color hair boy pouted… a little upset. Soon the cards were cut and dealt, and a carefree game of 'go fish' began.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Mutou Yuugi sighed. The light, brisk, spring wind felt good on his damp bangs. He sighed, watching the sakura petals flutter by in the wind. He loved spring. It was the time of rebirth. It was a time to start afresh: not only in school but also in life. It was the end of another winter when everything awoke from its slumber. Spring was the time that he wanted to marry if he ever did. Yuugi knew he sounded girlish thinking about marriage after all only girls thought about those kinds of things, but sometimes it would hit Yuugi in the rear. He was going to turn seventeen in a couple of months, and not once had he gone on a date. Actually he never even had a real friend that stayed beside him until recently. Mou hitori no boku didn't count, and Rebecca was like a little sister. As for Anzu, the two hadn't spoken to each other since the day before he and Jounouchi became friends. She seemed to have been avoiding him since. Yuugi sometimes wondered if it was because Anzu didn't approve of his and Jounouchi's friendship, but that was foolish, yet no matter what, it still hurt. No matter what, he still felt a deep love for the girl; one that he couldn't contain. He had for years.

The boy sighed before popping himself down on the park bench. Jounouchi was working today. His boss had him take an earlier shift, so he couldn't hang out with Yuugi. Yuugi couldn't help but wonder what it felt like to work. He had never worked before. One, the school didn't allow students to work. They were afraid that it would affect their education. Only kids like Jounouchi who came from underprivileged families were allowed to work to pay for their tuition. Besides, his grandfather would never allow him to work. He still wondered if his grandfather still thought that he was suicidal or insane. It seemed that Jounouchi's presence seemed to have eased the elder out of thinking that he had joined a gang or something. At least Jounouchi never mentioned to Jii-chan that he used to be part of a gang himself then who knows what the elder what have done.

 _Well… there's no use staying here feeling sorry for myself. I know! I'll go to Burger World and get myself something to eat before meeting Jounouchi at the movies. His shift should be done by then._ Proud of his plan Yuugi got up from his seat and immediately ran to the bus stop. Burger World was on the other side of town, and he didn't feel like walking all the way there even if the walk was by the beach. He could go to the beach anytime. Burgers were more important than walking along the beach in his opinion.

The fresh baked smell of burgers engulfed him. Yuugi sighed. He loved hamburgers. They were his favorite food in the whole wide world. He couldn't help but run the rest of the way to Burger World. As the automatic door opened, Yuugi's eyes widened as did the waitress before him. A young girl with short brown hair with a pair of bunny ears on her head and a very short mini red skirt and collared t-shirt. Clipped onto her shirt was a small name-tag with the words 'Masaki Anzu' written in pen.

"An… Anzu." Yuugi gasped. The young waitress immediately gulped grabbing Yuugi by the wrist and pulling him into the far corner of the large two-story restaurant. _So this is where Anzu's been lately… working._ Yuugi felt his face brighten as he felt Anzu's finger nails dig into his skin. He cringed in pain as the young waitress sat him down in one of the booths at the far back. His amethyst eyes widened as the young waitress bent down… mumbling… pleading with him.

"Onegai! Onegai! Yuugi… don't tell on me."

"Tell on you?" The boy questioned confused before suddenly realizing Anzu's case was different from Jounouchi's. She hadn't gotten permission from the school board to work like Jounouchi had. "Oh. The school isn't letting you work?" Anzu's face turned beet red before nodding.

"Hai."

"Then… then why do you need to work? Obviously you have enough money to pay for the tuition," Yuugi replied confused. After all from all the horror stories he had heard of working late night shifts and the potential of getting molested after shifts, he couldn't figure out why anyone would possibly want to work. Anzu sighed before lightly setting her hand down on Yuugi's shoulders.

"You really do have a perfect life… ne, Yuugi? Your Jii-chan can provide for your future education not like my parents. I have dreams, Yuugi-chan." Anzu continued. Her aqua blue eyes glistened like someone with a true passion. "I… I want… no need the money… so that after high school I can go to America and study dance in New York City. That's my dream, Yuugi. To someday dance on Broadway… that's my dream." Anzu sighed, aspirated at knowing that eventually the younger would crack up laughing or feel sympathetic. Most people weren't like her. Most people said she was a dreamer that she had the grades to get into Tokyo UV. She didn't need to set her dreams so high. She could marry rich and live a glamorous life, yet Yuugi wasn't that kind of a person. He didn't laugh. He didn't feel sympathetic. It wasn't because he was secretly in love with the girl for so long. It was because he admired people who had their lives planned out. They were so unlike him. He felt like he was living in a dream… every single day… waiting on a dream… waiting on one person. For months now… he had been having this reoccurring dream of a person with beautiful ruby red eyes… kind and gentle… yet with a sense of superiority. It was much like that mysterious man who had comforted him so long ago at the hospital.

Anzu waited for Yuugi to laugh. She held her breath even. A lingering silence covered the small booth, but the young boy decided to break the silence. "That's cool Anzu. New York City… I always wanted to go there. Jii-chan has been to San Francisco… the Pacific coast of America but never the Atlantic side."

"Thanks, Yuugi. I'll go get you a burger. It's on me." With that Anzu left.  She winked her eye at the small tri color hair boy. Yuugi couldn't help but blush. He was also glad to see that Anzu really wasn't mad at him which made his day even brighter. The two hadn't spoken to each other for a long time, but when the burger came Anzu neglected going back to work instead she sat across from Yuugi. She watched the younger eat his burger.

"We haven't talk to each other for a long time, ne Yuugi?"

"Hai." Yuugi blushed… hiding himself under his burger before gently pushing his container of fries closer to Anzu. He invited the young girl to take some. At first Anzu declined. It wasn't until after much persuasion before the young brunette picked up her first piece.

"You know… Yuugi. You aren't like many boys I have hung out with."

Yuugi couldn't help but blush even brighter. He lightly rubbed his nose. A tiny tint of pink slowly appeared on the tip of his nose before he removed his forefinger. "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not."

Anzu grinned. "In my book… that's good thing. I feel so bad. We haven't talked for so long. I'm such a baka. If I had only been less broad, I…I… shouldn't have… ki…"

_Ring! Ring!_

Anzu gasped, startled as her cell went off. She sighed. Yuugi simply shrugged his shoulders. Slowly he mouthed… 'you should get it'.

The young brunette merely nodded. "Moshi… moshi. It's Masaki Anzu." Silence engulfed the two teens before Anzu suddenly broke the silence with a quick 'sayonara'. She looked a little miffed before immediately getting out of the booth. "Sayonara, Yuugi. I got to go. I paid for the burger already. Remember… onegai… don't tell on me."

"I won't. Bye bye," Yuugi stated. Fringes of red were still present on the tip of his ears. He watched as Anzu hung up her apron and disappeared into the back. Moments later she emerged obviously haven successfully obtained a dismissal from her boss before running out of the restaurant. As Anzu's figure disappeared, Yuugi finally let out a long kept in sigh. He was grateful they ended up not talking about the kiss. It was so long ago. But obviously it was still well in Anzu's mind as it was in his own.

_Ding! Dong! Ding!_

The town clock chimed fourteen times. Yuugi gasped. Startled for he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to meet Jounouchi at the movie theater ten minutes after two. The teen quickly gulped down the rest of his burger and shake before bolting out the door. Ten minutes later, a sweaty Mutou Yuugi appeared at the theater. Standing at the entrance was an impatient Jounouchi with two movie tickets in his hands.

"Jounouchi-kun… gomen." Yuugi muttered.

"Man, I was afraid you wouldn't get here on time. What happened?"

"Burger World took longer than expected."

Jounouchi's eyes widened. "Y… you went to Burger World and didn't get me anything?"

"Gomen. I… I thought you had already eaten. I… I was talking with Anzu." Yuugi muttered.

"Anzu? That really snobby girl… our class president? The one who wants me to get dumped in water at the school carnival?" The horror of being elected was still fresh in Jounouchi's mind. The costume that the girls in their class had picked out for him was even more likely to provoke nightmares.

"She's not snobbish!" Yuugi shouted. His face became unreasonably red. The blond couldn't help but chuckle as the two walked into the theater.

"One would think you have a thing for her. Good luck, Yuugi. I think the star of the soccer team has his sights set on her. No offense Yuugi, but you really aren't a lady's man."

"And you are?" Yuugi asked dryly. He was a little annoyed.

"Hey! Don't get on my case, Yuugi." With that, Yuugi stared at the blond even harder. He couldn't help but lightly step on the other's feet as they found their seats which caused a mini popcorn fight untillthey hit an overly pump lady in the head. They almost got kicked out of the theater for it.

Five hours later after the movie ended and two hours at the arcade, Jounouchi and Yuugi parted at the bus stop. Jounouchi lived on the other side of town, which was closer to their school while Yuugi's house was only a ten-minute walk away. Even though the sun hadn't even gone down yet, both boys still had a lot of homework left to do before school started the next day. "Sayonara, Jounouchi-kun." Yuugi stated as Jounouchi boarded the bus 77. The blond simply waved. The door closed as Yuugi sighed. A large yawn escaped his lips as he shifted the weight in his backpack. He watched as the bus rounded the corner before sitting down on the bus bench. He wasn't looking forward to going home. Jii-chan was still in Mexico, and he probably wouldn't get back for another month or so.

Yuugi didn't know how long he sat on the park bench. He didn't really remember when he had removed mou hitori no boku from his backpack either. Lately… he had been carrying the doll around with him wherever he went. He felt that as long as mou hitori no boku was near him; he was safe. It was like a child's safety blanket to him. Currently he was slowly, lovingly playing with the doll's blond bangs. A strong gust of the wind blew through the air. The sun was starting to set. Light, faint drops of rain were starting to fall. Yuugi removed his umbrella from his backpack before standing up. "I guess we should go home, ne mou hitori no boku? I still have five more hours of homework and studying left to do." With that Yuugi slowly made his way home… to a home that was cold, damp and lonely. It had been like that for years even before his parents' death. It just seemed to have gotten a lot worse afterwards. At least he still had and would always have mou hitori no boku and now Jounouchi.

Minutes later, he passed by what seemed like an abandoned warehouse. Years ago, it had been inhabited by an elderly man. It was his factory until his son committed suicide one day. People nowadays said that it was haunted by a vengeful spirit. Yuugi shivered. "I think Jounouchi-kun is really starting to rub off on me, mou hitori no boku." Yuugi sighed as he looked past the now broken down fence. A large 'keep out' sign was posted on it.

"AHHH!"

Yuugi's eyes widened. "Did you hear that mou hitori no boku?" Once more, moments later a horrified scream followed by a blood curling cry of help rang out from the warehouse. "Oh my kami!" All thoughts of his own safety and the fact that he couldn't fight were lost from his mind as Yuugi leaped over the fence. Mou hitori no boku was clenched under his arms as he stormed into the warehouse. There… cornered to the wall was a horrified Anzu. A knife was held to her throat. Thin traces of blood were already running freely from her wrist.

"Anzu!" Yuugi screamed setting mou hitori no boku near the wall along with his backpack. "Get away from her!" The molester turned. A sinister and insane look gazed his eyes. Yuugi gulped. _Is that how Jii-chan thinks of me? Iie! Iie! I can't let it affect me. Iie! I'm not like that!_

"I'm not!' Yuugi screamed charging at the molester. The knife went flying as Yuugi knocked into the molester. He felt his teeth meet almost decaying flesh, yet no matter how bad the flesh tasted he dared not let go even when the molester started pounding on his head. Each blow was stronger than the one before. He knew he couldn't hold on any longer, but for Anzu he would gladly give his life up for her.

"Yuugi!" Anzu screamed horrified as she watched her attacker fling Yuugi across the warehouse and into the door. _Yuugi… you… you really have grown. Arigotou._ A stern look gazed her lips as she too charged into the molester. The pain in her wrist disappeared, yet she too was quickly overpowered as she was also thrown across the warehouse. Blood gushed out of her mouth. A half dazed, Yuugi looked on. He watched at the man found his knife once more and slowly advanced onto Anzu. His own near rape incident came gushing back to him and how that person with that regal voice rescued him. "Please… onegai… somebody… please save Anzu." With that Yuugi blacked out. A blinding gold light emitted within the warehouse.

"Let's play a game."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Yuugi! Yuugi! Onegai… onegai… wake up! Wake up!"

The young boy with the cherubic face lightly stirred. He felt salt tears lightly land upon his skin. Ever so slowly his amethyst eyes opened. His vision was hazy. The boy groaned. He blinked his eyes a couple of times. There leaning over him was a sobbing Anzu. "Anzu." Yuugi groaned straining to sit up.

Immediately the sobbing ceased as the young girl looked up and immediately wrapped her arms around Yuugi's small frail body. The young boy couldn't help but blush badly as he felt Anzu's soft silky skin touch his own. "Arigotou… Yuugi-kun. Arigotou."

"For what?" Yuugi questioned confused. He felt so tired and broken. Immediately Anzu pulled away. Tears stained her aqua blue eyes. "You're the one who saved me."

"Iie. You saved me, Yuugi. You saved me from him." Anzu hissed. Lightly she rubbed her elbows. She felt so cold and dirty.

"Who… who was he?"

"Some jerk…"Anzu hissed almost a little too bitterly. She sat down next to him, yet her left hand was still clasped in Yuugi's right. He felt his hair stick up on ends as absentmindedly Anzu stoked his wrist. It wasn't till then did he notice that he wasn't the only one with bandaged appendages. Both of Anzu's wrists were wrapped in bandages and that was it. She seemed to have gotten out of the whole ordeal without any physical pains, but as for mental ones he knew that they would run deep. After all sometimes at night he would dream of what would have happened to himself nearly six months ago had that anonymous person not shown up when he did.

"Yuugi," Anzu sighed. "I… I don't know how to thank you. When… when we were young, I… I thought you were weak." Anzu began. Her voice was meek, yet Yuugi shook it off. He knew he was weak, and he knew he was still weak. He felt even weaker now. Twice now, both Jounouchi and Anzu had thought that he had done something that he knew quite positively he could not have done. But it didn't rest any easier in his mind especially since there would were times when he couldn't remember doing even half the things he did, or how he ended up at a different location.

"But… but I was wrong. Both Jounouchi and I were both wrong. I know that now. When… when I first met you, in elementary school, I… I thought you were porcelain doll that needed protecting. My… my dad used to tell me stories of normal humans becoming heroes when I was little. I wanted to be a hero. It was when I was still really little before I moved here. We… we used to move a lot. Otousan's job kept us moving. I… I never had many friends. But when I transferred to your school and saw you, I heard you talk. I knew… you… you weren't like most others guys. Y… you were different. Different in a good way… y… you didn't want to be strong or even manly. You showed real emotion, yet people picked on you. I… I guess over time. I just thought of you like… that, like… well… weak. And… and now I really know… I really know that I should never trust my first instincts." Anzu sighed. She was a little flustered. It wasn't until then did she realize that she was still stroking Yuugi's hand. "Oh… I…"

"Anzu. W… why are you telling me all this?" The boy asked confused. Never had he expected such a whole heartfelt confession from Anzu. She just didn't seem like the type.

"Why? Why?" Anzu asked. She could feel fits of laughter threaten to erupt from her lips. "Because…because… we're friends. Ne, Yuugi?"

"Friends," Yuugi muttered. A smile slowly turned upon his lips. "Hai, we are friends." Anzu too grinned. Her hand slipped from Yuugi's. A tint of red slowly formed under her eyes. Yuugi watched her for a long period of time. Neither one talked afterwards. They were both silently processing the exchange of words that had just transpired from their lips. They were friends. It was something that neither thought would ever be possible. As for Yuugi, it felt like a dream come true. Maybe… maybe now… their friendship could blossom into something more than just plain friendship. Maybe even something that he has always longed for… love. Maybe… maybe someday they would get to that point. After all she had already given to him… her friendship… and as for now it was enough for Yuugi.

Neither knew how much time had passed before a nurse came in and told Anzu that visiting hours were over. It wasn't till then did Yuugi actually realize that he was at the hospital. He watched as Anzu left his room for her own. She too was going to spend the night at the hospital, so she could get tests done in case something more had happened to her than what the outward appearances showed. Yuugi sighed… as the nurse turned off his light. The whitewash walls gave off a holy glow in the moonlight. It was close to the full moon already. He sighed before snuggling deeper into her covers. His head ached. It wasn't until then did he notice that mou hitori no boku like always was resting peacefully on his night stand. It had been nearly a decade since he received mou hitori no boku from his Jii-chan. Ironically enough since the day he first received mou hitori no boku, every time he had ended up at the hospital mou hitori no boku was always there with him.

Yuugi sighed. "I… I made another friend today Mou Hitori no Boku. Did you know that? Yet I feel so bad. She thinks I saved her life, but… but that's not possible, is it? Cause… how… how could I have if I don't even remember doing it? Actually Mou Hitori no Boku I don't remember a lot of things lately." The doll looked on like always not making a sound. Yuugi let out one last aspirated sigh before letting sleep claim him.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Three days later Yuugi was released from the hospital. In those three days, Anzu came to visit him periodically. It was either her or Jounouchi. The moment that Jounouchi discovered that Yuugi was in the hospital, he vowed to kill the person that did it to him and to never leave his side again. But that was not possible mainly because the molester seemed to already be dead. It seems he too like many before him had his mind stolen from him along with his whole right hand. It wasn't until yesterday when the crime scene was investigated thoroughly for the final time was a mutilated hand discovered behind a trash can.

Yuugi sighed as he fell into his seat. A large yawn escaped his lips. He lightly ruffled through his blond bands. Once again he was early. At least Jounouchi always arrived to school early too. It was ironic since Jounouchi hated school, yet he still always got to school before most people. Yuugi stiffed a yawn. He didn't get much sleep the night before. He kept having recurring slabs of pain in his neck. The doctors said it was due to being thrown across the warehouse. Yuugi didn't believe it. He had been thrown across rooms for much of his life when bullies used to pick on him.

Ten minutes later the classroom door slid open. It immediately caused Yuugi to turn around. There entering the room was Jounouchi. He looked beat… really, really beat… not to mention agitated. "Ohayo Jounouchi-kun!" Yuugi chirped. The blond simply nodded before popping himself down in the seat next to Yuugi's. "You seem off." Yuugi immediately commented.

"My sister's in town."

"You have a sister?" Yuugi gasped, a little startled. He had always thought that Jounouchi was an only child especially since he never really talked about his family.

"Yeah. A little sister… she lives with Kaasan." Yuugi's brow furrowed a little confused. "My parents are divorced."

"Ohh." Yuugi nodded a little sympathetic. He had always been glad that when his parents passed on. They were together. At least they died together. He had read and seen so many books where one spouse passes on, and the other couldn't bear to live on and ended up committing suicide.

"I haven't seen her since I was really little."

"So… why don't you seem happy?" Yuugi asked confused.

"Because she's dating someone."

Yuugi's eyes widened before immediately bursting into a fit of laughter. Jounouchi seemed to look hurt before Yuugi could fully contain himself. "Gomen… gomen Jounouchi-kun. So… so you're overly protective of her?"

"Iie! She just has bad tastes in boyfriends and stuff. The last guy she dated had a father who was a clown."

"Nani!" Yuugi cried out almost slipping out of his chair.

"Hai. He had a dad who was clown, and he wears weird cube earrings too! I'm telling you Yuugi. My sister is really bad at picking the people who she goes out with."

"Who's she going out with?"

Before Jounouchi could reply the rest of the class had entered the room and was followed shortly by the teacher. Jounouchi shrugged his shoulders sympathetically before returning to his seat leaving Yuugi as confused as always.

_Poor Jounouchi-kun._

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Jounouchi ended up getting detention again for falling asleep in class. Instead of following Jounouchi to detention like he always did Jounouchi ended up asking him to follow Honda which was strange. Actually the whole Honda and Jounouchi friendship had been weird lately. Since winter break started, the two hadn't been talking. Actually Jounouchi had been giving the other death stares which Honda pretended not to notice. Now Yuugi was given the almost impossible task of stalking someone besides the fact that he really wasn't very tall which also meant he didn't have very long legs thus he couldn't keep up with the other all the time. Not to mention he had to keep Honda from noticing that he was tailing him. On numerous occasions, he could have sworn Honda had noticed he was tailing him. Only the other seemed to never look back. Either Honda was really, really naïve, or he just didn't care.

Now two hours later, Honda seemed to have hooked up with a pretty girl with light auburn hair. Whoever the girl was… she obviously she was obviously very… very fond of Honda and followed his words to the letter. Yuugi sighed. He was a little annoyed at having to follow Honda. After all he wasn't even sure why he was following the boy in the first place. Did Jounouchi want him to tell Honda something… if so… he never told him what it was? Or… maybe… he was going to ask him questions the next day about what Honda does after school. Whatever the reason was Yuugi was praying that he could go home soon, or at least Jounouchi would get out of detention soon. Then again was Jounouchi even going to meet him… somewhere? Or… or… no matter how many times he told himself not to think about it what if Jounouchi had just stood him up?

_Iie! Jounouchi-kun isn't like too! Iie! He'll come. I know he will._

The smaller pit pat of raindrops landed in the hard, warm cement as it cascaded down from the clouds above. Yuugi sighed as he heard the raindrops land on his umbrella. He let out an aspirated sigh. Honda was sitting in the park bench with that mysterious girl in his arms. They looked so out of it. Either that or Honda was just plain insane. Just as Yuugi was about to leave for he knew that Jounouchi couldn't possibly want him to get sick running his errand, Honda and his mystery girl got up from the park bench. Honda seemed to have given the girl his jean jacket, and she was using it as an umbrella to cover herself from the rain. Yuugi bit his lips. Should he or shouldn't he catch up with them and give the girl his umbrella?

_Remember Yuugi! Don't let them see you._

Those were Jounouchi's words to him, but surely he didn't mean it when it started raining. Yuugi let out an aspirated sigh. Jounouchi owed him big time for this. With that thought in mind, Yuugi ran off after the couple. He was a little frustrated that he seemed to have lost them again.

"AHHH!"

A girl was screaming. Immediately Yuugi skidded to a stop before taking off after the scream. He rounded a corner. There by the beach was Honda and the girl… surrounded by a bunch of thugs. They had scary looks on their faces. They were also holding knives in their hands. The waves were particularly choppy. They were bouncing off of the pier and crashing onto the bridge.

"Honda-kun!" Yuugi shouted.

The boy turned. At that moment, one of the thugs swung his arm at Honda. Yuugi's eyes widened as Honda's body was sent flying… over the pier. The girl screamed. Her brown eyes widened as she backed up against the fence. Honda's soaking wet jacket was draped over her shoulders. The thugs turned towards Yuugi and grinned.

"Let's play with him." One of the thugs grinned.

Yuugi wanted to run. He wanted to run away and find somebody… anybody to help, but as he looked on at the young girl with light brown hair. Her auburn eyes widened considerably. Time stood still for Yuugi. He felt himself drifting away again into that black abyss where darkness was everywhere. He tried to restrain himself. He felt his windpipes tighten. His vision became blurry. His heart pounded faster as he saw one of the thugs grab hold of the girl. He watched her kick and scream… before the two both went over the pier. His amethyst eyes widened. His pupils grew smaller and smaller. A golden ray of light transcended the street.

"Let's game a play."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Yuugi! Yuugi! Wake up! Wake up!"

Yuugi groaned. He felt so wet… and cold. His vision was blurry as he awoke. Faint drops of water were still falling from the dark, gray sky. The boy groaned. There hovering over him was Honda… and Jounouchi with his arms around the girl. They all looked just as wet and tired as him was. Yuugi's mouth immediately dropped. "Waa! Where did you come from Jounouchi-kun? And… and why are your arms around Honda's girlfriend?"

The young girl immediately broke into a fit of giggles. Honda immediately turned red while Jounouchi scoffed. He released his arms from the girl before helping Yuugi up. "So I really wasn't seeing things. There really was something following us," Honda stated eyeing Jounouchi evilly before lightly patting Yuugi's shoulders.

Yuugi sighed. A small sweat drop was starting to form on the side of his face. "Yeah, Jounouchi-kun told me to…" He immediately stopped seeing that Jounouchi now standing behind Honda and was trying ever so hard to get him to stop talking.

"Oniichan!" The girl gasped. She was horrified.

"Oniichan?" Immediately Yuugi understood. "You… you're Jounouchi-kun's sister?"

"Hai!" The girl nodded. "I'm spending a couple of weeks here with Oniichan since Okaasan is away on a business trip. I'm Kawai Shizuka."

"Shizuka." Yuugi muttered. He immediately understood. His amethyst eyes dulled over.

 _"U… Ushio… Ushio… stole… stole m… my S… Shizuka."_ Jounouchi had called out to his sister that night. So many weeks had passed since Ushio had assaulted them. He wondered if Jounouchi still remembered what he had said that night. Yet, he knew the way that Jounouchi was holding his sister and how upset he was this morning that she was dating Honda. The night when he lost her picture, Yuugi could tell that that he really, really cared about her. Something that he himself had never known, he had never known sibling love. He could barely remember paternal love. His Jii-chan was the only family he had left, yet the old man was almost never home. He immediately shook his thoughts away when he noticed Shizuka's concerned expression.

"I'm Yuugi… Mutou Yuugi."

"Hi. Oniichan talks a lot about you. Arigotou Yuugi-kun for saving me and Honda."

_Saving? I… I saved her… and Honda?_

"Yeah… Yuugi. Arigotou… for this and Ushio." Honda added a little embarrassed. Yuugi nodded. He knew their kind. Honda was a lot like Jounouchi. Both men couldn't, didn't have the courage to say 'thank you'. Saying it took a lot out of their pride. Once again the atmosphere thickened before Jounouchi let out a faint cough.

"Arigotou Yuugi. I knew I could trust you to watch over them." He eyed Honda evilly before pulling Shizuka closer to him by her wrist. "I… I should probably take Shizuka home. You don't mind do you Yuugi?"

"Iie. Go on. I'll be fine." Yuugi nodded. A smile glazed his lips as he watched the brother/sister duo walk away. Yuugi let out a sigh. It wasn't until then did he notice Honda was still staring at him. There was a perplexed look on his face. "Hi." Yuugi croaked.

"Yeah, hi. I… I… should probably go." Honda added before pulling himself up. He picked up his soaking wet jacket. The same one that he had lent to Shizuka. Yuugi sighed. He bit his lips. He longed to stop Honda. Soon the better got to him.

"Matte… Honda-kun." The boy immediately turned around.

"I said I'm sorry. What else do you want?"

"I… Jounouchi-kun will turn around… Honda-kun. H… he cares deeply for Shizuka."

"Damn!" Honda cursed. He pounded his fist against the wall of an old butcher shop. His brown hair was starting to droop. He looked so broken. His expression was much like how Jounouchi's was that night at the hospital. "Maybe a little too deeply." Honda muttered bitterly. "Can't he see? I… I love her too."

"Honda-kun," Yuugi breathed. He picked himself up from the sidewalk and walked over to the boy. His backpack was in one hand as he set his other hand on Honda's free hand. "Demo he also cares for Shizuka's happiness. I… I saw how happy she was today with you." Yuugi immediately blushed. He still felt a little uncomfortable about spying on the two. "He… he'll see it too. I… I know he will. He'll come around Honda-kun. Don't give up."

Honda chuckled. Yuugi's eyes widened as he felt a hand upon his shoulder. He looked up and saw a small sigh slowly form on Honda's lips. "Hmm… now I know why Jounouchi was so attracted to you. You have something that neither one of us have. You have hope. Arigotou Yuugi. See you around… tomodachi."

Yuugi looked on at Honda's retreating figure as he slowly disappeared down the street. A smile was planted on Yuugi's lips as he went the opposite direction to catch a bus home. A small tone played on his lips. The rain was starting to let up. The clouds were parting. The first star of the night could be seen from the heavens above. Yuugi leaned out of the window of the bus. He set his chin upon his elbow. The small lull of the bus as it took him and many others on the bus home through the streets of Domino.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

_Niisama… matte. I will make you proud. I will revenge you._

The rustle of clothing inside a bush… a flash of light before a small figure emerged before quickly disappearing down an empty ally way.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Sugoroku sighed. A broom was in hand as he swept the ground before his shop. He had returned from America a week earlier. Every day he was waiting for Arthur's call for him to return to do more extensive research.

"Ohayo Sugoroku-jiisan." Anzu chirped as she walked up to the elder man, startling him.

"Ohayo Anzu. Are you looking for Yuugi?"

"Hai. Yuugi promised to walk to school with me today. We have to get to school early. It's our turn to clean."

Sugoroku nodded before flashing a glance up at Yuugi's bedroom. He knew that his grandson was already up. He had already eaten breakfast by the time he woke up. He couldn't help but feel a little depressed. He and Yuugi hadn't been on equal grounds since the day his parents died. He wondered if Yuugi had ever truly healed. At least now, he had three really, really good friends, and no longer did Sugoroku feel bad about leaving Yuugi at home alone. He wondered when he should tell Yuugi that he had to go to Tokyo for a conference for a month. He would tell him later maybe when he got back from school. Minutes passed by, still Yuugi didn't appear. Sugoroku sighed. He looked at Anzu a little embarrassed before shouting out 'Yuugi'.

An annoyed 'nani' was the reply.

"Anzu's here." Sugoroku answered back. Within seconds a flustered Yuugi appeared at the door.

"Gomen nasi, Jii-chan, Anzu."

"Ready to go?"

"Hai. Ja ne, Jii-chan."

Sugoroku watched as Yuugi retreated down the street. A small skip was in his step as he walked alongside Anzu. Laughter circled them. He would have never thought that Yuugi and Anzu would be friends. When they were little, they were acquaintances. There would be times when Anzu would come over to do a school project with Yuugi. He remembered cornering the girl one time when Yuugi had ran to the nearby store to pick up some supplies that they needed. He remembered telling Anzu not to break Yuugi's heart. He told her that it had already been broken many times literally and figuratively. She seemed to understand. She seemed like a good girl, yet she also seemed more estranged from Yuugi after that incident. Sometimes at night, Sugoroku would silently wish that he had never requested that from the girl. Now here they were so many years later walking to school together.

"You okay Yuugi?" Anzu asked a little while later. The two had already boarded the bus that would take them to school. An uneasy silence had engulfed the two.

"Yeah." Yuugi nodded a little uncomfortable. He hated lying, especially to Anzu. Then again in a case like this didn't he have a right to lie? After all what would Anzu think if he told her?

_'Oh, I've been having blackouts ever since my sixteenth's birthday since the night that my parents died. I have dreams about a boy with demonic eyes. That day when you said that I saved you, I… I can't remember what happened. There are times when I don't remember anything. It's like a demon is overtaking my soul, yet… yet it's a nice demon. It's a demon that saves me and people that I care about. When… when it happens, I feel imprisoned in a dark abyss. It's a place where I feel like I will never be happy again'. No, I can't tell Anzu that she'll think I'm crazy just like Jii-chan and Rebecca do. But Rebecca is too young and too naïve. She cares about me too much to accept it._

"Why?" Yuugi asked confused. His façade once again upon his face. He felt so dirty and deceitful as he smiled for her.

Anzu immediately relaxed. She didn't want to read more in to it, or she like most others was just too scared to read in to it. "No… nothing. Forget about it. Oh! Do you want to go to the arcade later today? You know after school… me, you, Jounouchi and Honda? Tomorrow's Sunday so there isn't any school."

"Hai." Yuugi exclaimed. He loved arcades, playing the games there was always fun.

Anzu nodded. A smile was etched on her lips. But she like Yuugi's grandfather knew there was something wrong with the boy, his clouded over look as he gazed out at the scenery. It seemed like he was keeping so much inside of him. They were things that he didn't wish to share with them. If only he would open up, she remembered their childhood. She had known him for a long time, long before the bullies got to him. He used to be so vibrant. She remembered his smile. It was stored in her memory now coated with cobwebs. Actually she remembered a lot about him, for instance his love for games, his desire to never fight, to never hurt another human being. They were all broken wishes now that he had saved her, Jounouchi, Honda and Shizuka's lives. A blush transcended her face as she looked on at the boy before her. He seemed to have aged. No longer was he childish or insecure about himself. _C… could I possibly be falling in love with him? Love? Do… do I love him?_

"Hey Anzu!" The young girl immediately awoke from her day-dreams. There hovering over her was a worried Yuugi. A smile gazed his lips as she awoke.

"Huh?"

"We're here."

"Oh," Anzu muttered. She lightly shook those thoughts from her mind. A little disoriented especially after haven thoughts of 'them'. She followed Yuugi off the bus before making a quick turn to the left. She bit her lips before noticing that they were still a couple of blocks away from school. She sighed. She was mentally glad that she didn't live that far away from school as Yuugi did. It was a long distance from Yuugi's house to school.

"Anzu. I'm going to buy a drink. Wait here, 'k?"

"Hai." Anzu nodded. She sighed. A small stifled yawn escaped her lips before absentmindedly she leaned against a random shop. She squinted her eyes. It was starting to get hot even though it was still early March. The sakura trees were already blooming. The sun was sharp this morning. The faint sounds of morning traffic were starting to come alive. Stores were starting to open. She hated getting up this early.

Moments later the jiggling of the store bell announced Yuugi's return. A bottle of iced orange tea was in his hands. It was already a quarter empty before he pulled out another bottle of lemon tea and handed it to Anzu. "Here. Let's go."

"Yuugi," Anzu muttered. The young boy stopped and turned around.

"Hmm."

"I…" Anzu sighed. "Nevermind. Let's go. Jounouchi and Honda are waiting for us."

"Hai." Yuugi giggled before slowly returning to his brisk skip. Anzu lightly fell into line with him. She was still a little flustered. As they neared the school, a counter on the side of the street caught Anzu's attention. Immediately she stopped and pulled Yuugi back. She was fascinated by the wide assortment of jewelry that was placed on the table.

"Wow!" Anzu gasped. Her eyes flashed with excitement as she ran her hand through a particularly expensive piece of jewelry. It was a pretty little thing, a thin piece of gold with a small charm in the middle. Yuugi shifted on the balls of his feet. He felt a little flustered and embarrassed. Haphazardly he reached for his back pocket, for his wallet before quickly removing his hand. He knew he didn't have enough for the jewelry. He was kidding himself for even thinking that he did.

"How much is it?" Anzu quickly asked.

The seller, draped in purple much like a fortune teller, sighed. "Err. It's not for sell."

"Not for sell?" Both Yuugi and Anzu gasped. They were both startled.

"Hai! You have to win it from me." With that the seller grabbed Anzu's bag before taking off down the dark alley behind the shop. The stand was knocked over, leaving a very confused Yuugi and an equally angry Anzu.

"Come back here!" Anzu screamed before quickly taking off after the thief. She was quickly followed by Yuugi.

"Anzu!" Yuugi shouted half an hour later. After dozens of turns and twists and in some strange twist of fate, Yuugi and Anzu had become separated. He had somehow found himself close to the loading dock where a bunch of warehouses were located. Most were empty and ready to be filled in the coming months. Yuugi sighed. He was a little worried at where Anzu could have possibly ended up at before a dark mass interrupted his thoughts. There in front of him, leaning against a 'keep out' sign was the seller, only he looked a lot shorter. Actually the thief was even shorter than Yuugi.

"You!" Yuugi shouted. He wasa little annoyed. Immediately the thief disappeared into the gate. Yuugi gasped. His eyebrows arc upwards. He was half startled and half confused.

_Is it just me or does he want to be found? Iie! That's… that's stupid!_

Immediately shaking the ridiculous idea from his mind, Yuugi walked to the gate before sighing. He felt so naïve. There in the wall was a large hole. It was large enough for a fully grown man to go through hence Yuugi was able to easily walked through. Once on the other side of the grounds surrounding the broken down warehouse, Yuugi noticed that all of the windows were boarded up. It looked ready to be demolished considering the state that it was in.

Yuugi groaned.

A door was open, leading inside the warehouse. Obviously the little thief was in there waiting for him. Yuugi gulped. He tightened his grasp on his bag before storming inside.

There in the center of the room was the thief. He was now no longer wearing the robe. It was definitely a boy. It was a boy with long wild raven black hair. He possessed a pair of piercing, determined eyes. He reminded Yuugi of someone, of someone who was very familiar. His lips were pursed, a little annoyed and arrogant. In the boy's hands were the robe that he had been wearing. In his other hand was Anzu's purse. "What took you so long Yuugi?" He smirked. "I was starting to fear that you would never get here. Let's play a game… Capsule Monsters Chess."

"Game? Nani! I have to get to school. Anzu's waiting for me."

"And I have her purse. Surely you aren't going to return empty handed when you already caught the culprit especially when I think she's falling for you already," the boy said teasingly.

"Really?" Yuugi questioned hopefully. The boy nodded. He grinned devilishly. "Ahh!" Yuugi shouted. He quickly shook the thoughts of his infatuation for Anzu away. "Fine, but surely this can't be the reason you want to play with me. Care you tell me the real reason?"

"No." The boy said simply before backing away exposing the gaming arena. There before them was a small table and two chairs. Already on the table were a board and a large box. Yuugi's brow ceased before walking over. He set his bag down on the ground before sitting himself down. He still had his guard up. He still did not trust the boy especially when he was sure he had seen this boy somewhere, _but where?_ The strange boy followed in suit. Silence enveloped the abandon warehouse. Seconds later the boy reached for the box. He broke the makeshift seal before producing a strange clear box with a small knob on one of the sides. It looked like one of those candy machines that were located in front of grocery stories that children could put in a hundred yen for a handful of candy.

"We'll take turns getting chess pieces using these tokens. I'll start," Yuugi simply nodded a little startled. He had heard of Capsule Monsters Chess once a long time ago. Rebecca told him about it. She said it was popular with the younger children in America. He could vaguely remember the rules. He remembered how the pieces had different techniques and levels to defeat the opponent. Soon both Yuugi and the strange boy each had five Capsule Monsters. Yuugi stared down at his small eggs. He assumed inside the eggs, each contained a game piece. Yuugi fingered one with a confused look on his face before looking up at his opponent.

"Matte. How… how do we play this exactly?" Yuugi asked. He was a little embarrassed, yet much to Yuugi's relief the young boy let out an estranged chuckle.

"Oh… Yuugi… is little Yuugi scared that he doesn't know how to play?" The boy smirked. He lightly stroked one of his Capsule Monsters with a rough '5' craved on to its side.

"Hey. You're the one that challenged me to a game," Yuugi snapped a little annoyed and a little worried about what happened to Anzu.

"Tsk… tsk. Big mean Yuugi is irritated. Is it because you're worried about Anzu? Aww… don't worry. My boys are taking care of her." Yuugi's eyes immediately widened before narrowing.

"You better not harm her."

"Tsk… tsk. You shouldn't show your weakness so. If you beat me at Capsule Monsters Chess, which I highly doubt, I will set her free and give you back her purse. If not… hee hee." The boy chuckled before rubbing his nose. "Since I'm feeling generous today I'll teach you how to play."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

While in a different part of town, at Domino High, an annoyed Jounouchi and Honda were muttering curses under their breaths of how Anzu and Yuugi never showed up. "Err! They owe us big time Jounouchi!" Honda snapped. He was a annoyed that he was wearing a pink apron and had a handkerchief tied around his hair.

"Jounouchi! Honda!" Anzu shouted. Her face looked flustered as she ran into the school. Jounouchi and Honda immediately looked up. An irritated expression glazed their eyes.

"Where have you been? Where's Yuugi? Get a mop."

"Iie! We can't! Yuugi, he disappeared!"

"Huh? Huh… waa!" Jounouchi shouted, clearly startled.

"Disappeared?" Honda's eyes widened.

"Hai! We stopped by this table that was selling jewelry. The owner stole my purse. We ran after him. Somehow Yuugi and I got separated. I don't know what happened to him. We got to go find him."

"Hai!" Jounouchi shouted. He now felt rejuvenated especially since he had an excuse to get out of cleaning.

"Matte! What are we going to say to Ogata-sensei?" Honda snapped. "You know he doesn't like students skipping."

"And Yuugi's been kidnapped." Jounouchi shouted not hearing a word that Honda just said.

"Now… now Jounouchi. Don't assume the worst." Honda comforted, yet he too was worried. Lately, there had been sightings of strange and dark events around town. Some said that a serial killer was on the loose who caused its victims to lose their mind and their body parts.

"I'll talk to Ogata-sensei. He's really kind hearted. I'm sure I could get him to let us go."

"Go where?" A booming voice questioned a little teasingly. Anzu gulped. She froze along with Jounouchi and Honda. She let out a strained giggle as she turned around.

"Ogata-sensei, ohayo gozaimasu," Anzu chirped. She was a little uncomfortable as she lightly bowed to her sensei. As she raised her head, a vision of Yuugi, so determined and caring, ran through her head.

_Iie. I can't let Ogata-sensei get to me. We got to find Yuugi._

Immediately she forced her face to look downcast before falling to Ogata-sensei's feet. "It… it's Yuugi-kun. He… he's on his deathbed. It…it's his dying wish for us to go see him."

 _Waa!_ Jounouchi gasped a little startled.

_Damn is Anzu good._

Just as Anzu claimed, the young teacher in his late 20's dropped to Anzu's level and grabbed her arm.

"Hai… hai. Of… of course you guys can go. Tell Mutou we are praying for him."

Anzu nodded, stifling back a tear before immediately picking herself up. She turned and saw a stunned Jounouchi and Honda standing behind her. Anzu immediately sighed. She was aspirated before grabbing their arms and pulling them out of the school. They stayed in their zombie states until they were blocks away from school. Jounouchi was the first to come out of his state.

"Anzu! What are we going to do tomorrow… no… more like today when we go back to school with Yuugi. He'll know we were lying." Jounouchi snapped.

"Quick recovery." Anzu managed to answer. "Besides… we can figure that one out later. First we got to find him."

"Right. We'll meet back here in an hour."

"Hai!"

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

While back in the abandon warehouse, Yuugi and young boy's game was drawing to a close. Yuugi only had one more Capsule Monster left while his opponent had two.

"You can't win, Yuugi." The boy smirked. He reached for one of his piece, yet Yuugi seemed calm. Everything that he had ever known about gaming told him not to panic till the last cards were dealt. He had just one more monster let. It wasn't over until it was over. As he watched the thief move his piece. There was a strange familiarity in the thief's techniques and the strategies. It was just like Kaiba's.

_Kaiba!_

Yuugi gasped. That's where he saw this boy before. It was that day at the gaming convention. After he had defeated Kaiba, he could vaguely remember this boy running up to Kaiba after Jounouchi had pulled him out of the crowd.

_What did he call Kaiba again?_

Yuugi furrowed his brow.

"Hee hee, Yuugi. I win." The boy smirked as he set the piece down before Yuugi's final capsule monster. "Thunder blast."

"Gomen," Yuugi muttered as he finally discovered who this child was. "Gomen ne. Counter, aerial wing."

The boy gasped startled as just like that his remaining two pieces were taken out. "That was a good game. You are a really good gamer." Yuugi smiled as he extended his left hand at the young boy before him. "Just like your brother Kaiba-kun." Yuugi said more like a fact than a question.

The boy looked up, a little uncertain and a little in awe. "They were right. You are smarter than you look. Yeah, I'm Seto's little brother Kaiba Mokuba."

Yuugi nodded. He understood just like with Jounouchi and Shizuka. "That's why you challenged me to a game ne, Mokuba-kun? You wanted to revenge your brother, but I told Kaiba-kun. We can play again whenever." Yuugi sighed as he looked down at Mokuba. The boy looked so downcast and broken. "And we can play again too, Mokuba-kun. You're a really talented gamer too. Why don't you give me back Anzu's purse, so I can get to school."

Yet as Mokuba looked up it wasn't a look of defeat or happy at his valiant effort for a game well played. Instead his eyes brazed with anger and spite.

"Just look at you Yuugi! Just look at you! Blabbing on and on about your little speech! You think you won! You think you are the best! People like you make me sick! You think telling Nii-sama 'we can play again'. Nii-sama has pride Yuugi! And you broke him! You broke him!" Mokuba hissed.

He immediately threw himself forward. He let out a mighty swipe. The chess piece went flying. The board shattered into a thousand pieces. His eyes dimmed. They were filled with rage. He let out a loud, insane crackle as he watched Yuugi squirm.

The boy moved backwards then hesitated.

Mokuba grinned. His eyes caught on to what was once the power source of the building. Mokuba's grin widened. He couldn't help but run his tongue across his lips. He loved seeing Yuugi squirm before quickly making a quick turnaround. He picked up a loose piece of metal pipe and smashed it down on the machine. A loud scream of 'iie' left Yuugi's lips. His eyes widened as the machine explored. Great balls of electrical fire shot out of the machine. The flames surrounded the warehouse. It blocked off all of the escape paths. A loud insane chuckle left Mokuba's lips.

"Now you can't leave Yuugi. Now we're both stuck here to burn away in hell. No, actually I'm lying." Mokuba smirked before pointing upward. "See that hole above that pile of boxes? We will play a game. The winner escapes while the loser dies!"

"Mokuba! Matte! Why are you doing this?"

"For Niisama!" The boy hissed before tossing Anzu's purse in the air once more. Yuugi sighed dejected. He didn't want to play. The smoke was already getting to him. It was making him light headed. He was already seeing double vision of everything. Yuugi mentally cursed at his weakness. It was one of those after effects that he had never recovered from.

"M… Mokuba," Yuugi strained his voice. He felt his feet giving away as he tried to grab hold of anything. "Don't do this."

Mokuba chuckled. "And you have already lost. You are so useless." Mokuba smirked. He glanced at the shattered Capsule Monster Chess board. "To think, you actually beat me at that. That's right. You must have cheated just like how you cheated when playing again my brother." Mokuba smirked before walking over to the tower of boxes. He slipped a side glance at Yuugi who looked like he had already fainted. "Burn in hell Mutou Yuugi," Mokuba scoffed. Just as the words left Mokuba's lips, a blinding gold light emitted throughout the room. A body rose from the ashes.

"How dare you trespass through my soul! I will play this little game of yours Mokuba and prove that justice has been done!"

Mokuba gasped. He felt breathless. "Yuugi?" Before quickly shaking away the thought, the undying thought that he had just sealed his fate.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

While not far from the warehouse, Anzu, Jounouchi and Honda's shouts carried throughout Domino City. Two hours had passed, yet there was still no sign of Yuugi. "Damn Anzu! Where the heck did he go? You don't seriously think he came this far do you? I mean these warehouses are rumored to be haunted."

"Haunted! You actually believe in the reappearance of warehouse 13. The one that was mysteriously set on fire one night which brought with it the death of 20 people. Then to reappear once again to claim more lives?" Anzu questioned, a little annoyed.

Jounouchi nodded a little embarrassed. A smile whimper left his lips.

"You got to be kidding right?"

Jounouchi shook his head causing Anzu to sigh.

_What a baby!_

"Yet there is something burning over there," Honda broke in. Anzu immediately turned around. There in the horizon was a dark patch of smoke, which was steady rising in the sky. Jounouchi was more reluctant to turn around upon seeing the smoke. He let out a petrified scream causing the trees to shake in its wake.

"Oh grow up Jounouchi! It might be really serious! There might be victims!"

"Victims! Hai!" Jounouchi shouted causing both Anzu and Honda to sweat drop. The blond was never too quick to try to be the hero. He loved being at the center of attention. Immediately he took off in the direction of the smoke, leaving behind him a mad string of curses from Honda's lips telling him to slow down.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Well, well well Mokuba I seemed to have won this game too! As the loser," the voice chuckled. Mokuba whimpered. His small frail body whimpered. His eyes looked dazed over. He looked like a wounded dog, waiting to be put down. "Penalty… Mind Cr…"

_Iie… iie… he… he's just trying to revenge his brother. He's not bad._

The voice immediately stopped, stunned, shaken and hurt. Immediately it grabbed its arms trembling from a sudden pain and chill. The seconds dragged on. The only sound was that of the crackling inside the warehouse, and Mokuba's whimpers could be heard.  Soon the voice calmed itself. It managed to shake off the pain, the sudden cascade of emotions before scoffing.

"You should be lucky Mokuba. Not many people live 'fully' after losing a game to me." With a swipe its arm, it grabbed Mokuba's shirt collar now stained and thrown. The boy's eyes dimmed over. The heat was finally getting to him as he fainted. The voice sighed before making its way to the escape route. It threw Mokuba onto the roof before climbing out itself. In two quick steps, it managed to land on the ground before collapsing into a pile of mush.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Yuugi!"

"Yuugi! Yuugi! Wake up! Wake up!"

Amethyst eyes snapped open. The owner sat up with a start. Surrounding him was Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda, and his grandfather.

"Jounouchi-kun! Honda-kun! Anzu! Jii-chan! W… what happened?" The boy asked confused. He looked around the room completely puzzled. He was in a hospital robe. Actually he was in the hospital. The boy immediately quieted upon seeing his grandfather's and his friends' startled looks. Memories came flashing back. He had been running after the thief that had stolen Anzu's bag. The thief turned out to be Kaiba's little brother. How he won at Capsule Monster Chess then Mokuba had set the warehouse on fire.

_Then… then what happened?_

He couldn't remember. There had been darkness, but no, not pure darkness. Momentarily he remembered a faint image of Mokuba bending down in front of him, begging for his life.

_When had that happened?_

Yuugi trembled. It was so cold, so ever so cold.

Sugoroku saw Yuugi trembling and immediately shoved a pill into the boy's mouth. For once Yuugi didn't push it away. He could immediately feel the medication taking effect as it numbed his body and slowed down his heart beat and breathing rate. It was one of those pills that he used to take often when he was little. For sixteen years it had kept him alive.

"Come on. Let's let Yuugi sleep. You can visit with him tomorrow," Sugoroku stated calmly shooing his friends out the door before quickly following after calling out a simple 'night'.

Yuugi could barely force a smile before falling asleep. He didn't even notice that his grandfather had placed Mou Hitori no Boku on the bedside table for him. The doll like always watched over the boy. It was a ritual it had been doing since Yuugi received the doll nearly a decade ago.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The afternoon light filled the small hospital room which awoke Yuugi from his slumber. He sighed and lightly yawned. He had been in the hospital for nearly a week now from recovering from haven breathed in so much smoke. It seemed to have damaged his lungs, but it was nothing that some powerful medication couldn't fix. As ironic as it was, Yuugi being in the hospital ended up saving Anzu, Honda, and Jounouchi from getting into trouble with Ogata-sensei. When Sugoroku called in that Yuugi was sick, the teacher ended up coming over to pay Yuugi a visit. Luckily Anzu had explained to Yuugi what happened, so all he had to do was act deathly sick. Luckily it was something that was quite easy for him to do.

He knew that his friends had already come and left. Visiting hours had ended an hour ago. He wondered what his grandfather was doing now in Tokyo. He wondered how the conference was going. He remembered his grandfather telling him he had to leave for a while. He was hesitate about leaving but after much persuasion from Yuugi, the old man agreed. But not before promising that he would bring a souvenir back from the conference.

Yuugi sighed. He looked around the hospital room. Like always, its walls were whitewashed. Menacing looking machines surrounded him. He always wondered why hospitals had to look so scary. After all it didn't help that more than half the population died in the hospital, did they seriously need scary looking machines surrounding them?

Yuugi sighed before reaching for his doll. Absentmindedly, Yuugi stroked its bangs. "I'm glad that Okaasan and Otousan didn't die in a hospital. I hope the day I die it won't be in a hospital either. They are so gloomy and depressing." Yuugi chuckled before a grin spread over his face. "You know what mou hitori no boku? I'm going to play a prank on the nurses. You think they'll notice if I leave for a hour?"

The doll just smiled on as always.

"I'll take that as a 'no'. I know. I'll leave you here to keep an eye on things." Yuugi grinned as he pulled out his IV tube.

For once he was glad the doctors took out the pads that monitored his heart. He could never get away if he had those on. It might cause a mass panic. Mainly if they actually thought he had died and called his grandfather. Then again he wondered how much his grandfather would really mind. He wondered if his grandfather actually blamed him for his parents' deaths. After all, he knew, and he knew his grandfather knew why his parents stayed away from Domino after his sister died. They couldn't stand losing another child. The cruel irony of it all was that trying to not lose another child; they ended up doing the one thing that they tried so hard to prevent.

Yuugi breathed out a heavy sigh. He set Mou Hitori no Boku on the bed before climbing down. He knew all about the hospital security. It involved a laser line. All one had to do was cover the laser line, and the alarm wouldn't go off. He pulled on a book from his backpack. He still had a lot of homework to catch up on before he went back to school. He placed it at ninety degree angle. When satisfied that it wouldn't fall down, he unlatched his window. He looked out. There was no one around. There wasn't even a person in sight. The hospital's parking lot was almost bare. He might actually get away with this.

Yuugi grinned before turning back around. He grabbed his coat and a pair of loose jeans. The shirt would have to do. Just as he walked over to the window, the doll caught his eye. Yuugi sighed. He was half tempted to grab it while the other half told him not. At the end, the doll's longing look got to him. The way its crimson eyes looked at him.

"Fine… fine you can come." Yuugi sighed.

He picked up the doll then walked over to his backpack. He emptied out all of the books before placing the doll into the bag then climbed out the window. Right about now, no matter how much he hated Karita-sensei the old man actually taught him something useful. He taught him how to scale a wall. Yuugi lightly dropped to the ground. There was still no one.

_Freedom!_

Yuugi grinned before spiriting out of the parking lot then on to the street. He wasn't sure where he was going or even what was exactly around the hospital.

He sighed. The brisk cold spring breeze felt good on his skin. Yuugi sighed. He felt content and as a result decided to just walk around. He didn't really care about where he ended up as long as he got back to the hospital before ten. The sun had already gone down. The streetlights were slowly turning on. It was so quiet. The sound of a bus as it rolled past him mixed with the sound of laughter from elementary school kids. _How could he have forgotten?_ It was already Saturday. Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu would be spending the whole day with him tomorrow. Domino was glorious at night, all the neon lights. They sparkled like the stars above.

Yuugi hissed lightly. He rubbed his hands against his shoulders. He trembled as he looked down at his left hand, the hole in his hand. He wondered if his grandfather, the doctors or his friends noticed it. He wondered why they didn't question him about it. He lightly rubbed it against his other hand before tucking it back into his pocket. He couldn't even remember how he got the hole in the first place. Actually there were a lot of things that he couldn't remember. They were mainly little things. There were periods in the day when no matter how much he strained he just couldn't remember, yet sometimes when he pushed hard enough. In the back of his mind, he saw darkness, pitch black darkness.

Yuugi hissed.

He was scared. He was terrified of that darkness. Some times at night he would be too afraid to sleep. He was afraid that he would never wake up and be eternally bonded by that darkness. Other things bugged him too especially with what happened with Mokuba. That image of Mokuba trembling before him and begging for his life was firmly implanted in his mind. The menace glow of murder that surrounded him was slowly fading away.

That bugged him to no end. Also there was his grandfather's and Rebecca's sudden fear of him. There was his black outs and his dreams of that mysterious boy. There was also that voice. _What if they were all tied together? Was his grandfather correct? Was he going insane? Did he have one of those mental disorders? Did he have one of those illnesses that slowly, ever so slowly eats away at your mind?_ Just thinking about it scared the boy.

On he walked, through the streets of Domino and into a well-lit street. There were numerous buildings here, yet they all seemed so cozy and warm. There were antique shops and a travel agency. Simple little shops: some clothes stores. And a toy store. That one caught Yuugi's eye. It wasn't one of those toy stores that sold toys for little kids. This was more like collectibles. There was a particularly beautiful hand crafted cat that caught his eye. It was located on the window. Its eyes looked as if they were made out of emeralds. A small white tux adorned the feline's body. A small delicate little top hat sat upon its head. It was holding a little cane in its hand. It was so beautiful. It looked as if it had a soul within it. "Sugoi." Yuugi whispered. He lightly pressed his face against the store's window.

"You like it, boy?" A tender, delicate voice questioned.

"Hai." Yuugi muttered.

"Many people like it. Baron von Schioder catches a lot of attention. It brings me a lot of customers," the voice continued.

Yuugi immediately blushed before turning around. He let out a small gasp. There standing before him was a young woman. She looked Egyptian. Her skin was tanned. It possessed a soft brown tone to it. A cream white dress adorned her body. A small headdress covered her head. A small piece of gold jewelry in the form of a necklace interlaced her neck. It wasn't fancy. In fact it was kind of plain. In the center was a strange craving of a beautiful eye.

Yuugi hissed upon seeing the piece of jewelry. A strong blast of sadness engulfed his body. The necklace, it seemed so familiar yet not at all familiar. Upon seeing the boy's reaction to her necklace, the young woman smiled. It was a tender smile yet full of sadness. She licked her lips before running her fingers through her necklace. She covered it up.

Yuugi immediately returned to normal. "I see Baron has caught your attention too."

"Baron?" Yuugi asked confused. He pushed back the strange emotion that transcended through his body. He dared not think about it, for fear of where it might lead to. Something in the back of his mind told him not to think too much about it.

"The cat, it was a gift from a talented German artist."

"It's glorious."

"Yes, many have been held captivate by it including me. Do you want to take a closer look… huh… gomen? I seemed to not know your name." The woman smiled a little embarrassed.

"Yuugi, my name is Mutou Yuugi."

"Ahh. Yuugi is it?" The boy nodded. He really liked this nice woman. She seemed so nice and amiable. "I'm Isis, Ishtar Isis." The woman commented before pushing open the small shop door. 

Yuugi immediately followed a little timidly. Upon entering, a blast of spices engulfed his senses. The small one story store was beautiful. Drapery encircled the small displays. There were numerous pieces from all over the world. Some were even from America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

"Sugoi," Yuugi gasped. "Your shop is beautiful, Isis-san."

"Thank you, Yuugi. My brother would be glad to hear it. He's away right now. Would you like to see Baron?" The boy nodded shyly as the young woman walked over to the window. Yuugi was surprised he hadn't noticed before, but the sculptured cat was in a tightly vaulted display case. Isis gently picked up the piece before sitting it into Yuugi's arms.

"Wow! I can't believe it's so light!"

Isis smiled. She looked as if she was glowing. "Yes, I thought the same thing when I first received it."

"The artist must have been very talented."

"Yes very. He was taught by a very incredible man."

"Who?" Yuugi questioned. He gently set Baron back on the table.

"My father," Isis giggled seeing Yuugi's astonished face.

"Your father?"

"Hai. My father was an artist. He loved craving, and he loved teaching people to crave. The artist who made Baron, he came to my father as a young boy. He was probably eight or ten, around your age."

Yuugi sighed, a little annoyed. _Why did so many people think he was only eight or ten? It was so embarrassing._

"I'm sixteen. I'm going to be seventeen in a couple of months," Yuugi grumbled.

"Oh!" Isis's eyes widened. "Oh. Gomen… gomen, Yuugi." Sadness covered her eyes before she quickly looked away.

Immediately Yuugi felt bad, thinking that it was because he had snapped at such a nice lady.  "It… it's okay Isis-san. Really… a lot of people think I'm only ten. It comes in quite handy when I go to parks and stuff. I can save a lot of money. You don't have to feel bad." Yuugi said, trying to make light of the awkward situation.

"Iie… iie. It's not that." Isis sighed. She lightly sniffed back her tears before dropping down to her knees. "It's not that at all."

Yuugi looked on at the nice lady strangely. His lips formed a small 'o' as she wrapped him into a tight hug. Slowly he relaxed and returned the hug. Lightly he ran his arms through her back, comforting the sobbing woman. The minutes dragged on before Isis managed to compose herself and picked herself up. She wiped away her tears before putting on what seemed to Yuugi like a forced smile.

"Want something to drink?"

The small faint sound of a grandfather clock as it chimed twenty-two times in the background.

_Shoot! How did it get so late?_

"Oh… I can't." Yuugi said startled. "I… I got to get back. Your shop is beautiful! Good bye!" With that Yuugi took off out of the shop. He left a startled Isis. Seconds later he returned, a smile on his lips.

"Yes?"

"I… I just wanted to say… arigotou!"

Isis nodded and watched as Yuugi retreated once more before she walked out of her shop. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, lightly stroking it before breathing out a sigh. She watched as Yuugi disappeared down the street. He was so careless and carefree. The way he ran told her everything.

 _Why did fate have to play with him? Why not someone else?_ She had never expected a boy like him to be the one chosen, chosen by the hands of God.

"Good luck, Mutou Yuugi. Good luck," Isis whispered before disappearing into her shop.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

_Shit! Shit! Shit! This is bad! Really bad… if I don't get back to hospital soon Jii-chan's going to kill me. How the heck did I get lost in Domino of all places?_

One hour had passed since Yuugi left Isis's shop, and he was no closer to getting back to the hospital. What was worse was that nothing seemed familiar. Worse, it looked as if he wasn't even in Japan anymore. Everything seemed so alien and different.

_Do the houses seem crooked?_

Yuugi trembled. The cold was getting to him. On he walked. He was too scared to ask for directions. The people seemed ready to kill. What was worse was that nothing whatsoever made a sound.

He kept on walking: one step, two step…

"Waa!" He cried and fell over a piece of gold?

Yuugi's eyes widened as he pulled himself up. There at his feet was a golden stick shaped like a key, no it was an ankh! It looked just like an ankh from one of his grandfather's Egyptian translation textbooks, but what was a piece of solid gold or what seemed like solid gold doing lying in the middle of the street?

His heart throbbed as he reached out to touch it. The same feeling as when he had seen Isis's necklace came flooding back. Only it felt ten times stronger. He felt weak as he bent over to grab it. At the end, he ended face down in the cement. The tip of the ankh touched his forehead. Yuugi's eyes glazed over…

Darkness.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Darkness, that was it, and that was all there was. Space and time seemed to merge as one, eternal darkness.

"Hello! Hello!" Yuugi screamed. Desperation seemed to get to him. Everything was dark. The ground, the sky, was it even ground and sky? Yet strangely there was enough light that he could see himself. He could see his body and his hands.

"Hello! Is there anyone here? Help," Yuugi called meekly. He was scared. It was not only scared because he didn't have a clue where he was, but because he felt as if he had been here before not once, but numerous times, but always subconsciously. On he ran. It seemed that everything seemed infinite here. That no matter how long he ran, he could always forever run on. A thick black smoke seemed to have formed around him as he continued running and running.

"Hello!" Yuugi screamed once more. "Help." He muttered. He wanted to stop. He longed to stop, but he couldn't. It was like a magnet or something equally powerful was drawing him forward.

_A flash!_

Yuugi's eyes widened. There was another flash. There was something before him. It was something red. It was something that he was meant to find. Yuugi ran on. The flashes were starting to become more frequent and closer now before turning into a pure solid red. Yuugi stopped. He felt as if his breath was taken away.

There before him was a pair of beautiful and stunning red eyes. They were enclosed in a thick black fog. It was the same black fog that enclosed him. Slowly the eyes advanced. Soon the whole body appeared. It was a handsome and breathtaking body. Yuugi's eyes widened. This boy, he seemed so familiar.

"Hello."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case somebody hasn't figured it out. The girl that Jounouchi was thinking about on the casino boat was Mai. In the Japanese version, they actually revealed her past which tells us that before Duelist Kingdom she worked on a casino boat. 
> 
> Another person I didn't come out and say his name to was Shizuka's ex-boyfriend. The one that Jounouchi said had a dad who is a clown. I am talking about Otogi. I'm sure the cube earrings gave that one away. But in case anyone is curious, Otogi really does have a dad who is a clown. In the manga they actually talk about his dad and how he isn't very fond of Yuugi, which causes the two to play DDM. The whole DDM story line in the manga is completely different from the one in the anime. Thus I'm pretty sure that is why Otogi's game shop is called the Black Clown, or is it Dark Clown. I can't remember, and I'm too lazy to look it up. -. -''
> 
> Also in case people don't know, Shizuka's last name really is Kawai. She and Jounouchi don't share a last name. Something the dub neglected to do. I think that's all the explaining/ background info that I need to do. Oh and because I just feel like it. 
> 
> That line that Anzu said to Ogata about Yuugi on the deathbed. I actually took it from the anime. I thought it was hilarious. It was one of Anzu's best lines in the whole anime. It's a shame they had to change it to her cat in the English dub. I guess they thought it wouldn't be appropriate. In fact in the Japanese version, they weren't actually going to a soccer game. They were ditching school.
> 
> One last thing, it is about the cat in Isis's shop. I actually took that for an anime movie titled Whisper from the Heart. Great movie might I add. Only it's not really called that. I couldn't remember its full name only the Baron part. In that movie, the cat is actually dressed like that. Oh… on the subject of Isis's cat, yes I also changed Isis's character. Now she owns a collectible store and has a father who is an artist. It was that or her being a fortune teller. I actually ended up changing her profession at the last second. I have no idea why. I felt like it I guess.


	5. Aishiteru

Yuugi's breath hitch. He felt his throat close up. His vision blurred out. A furrowed looked appeared upon his brow… creasing it.

Momentarily he would stop and shake his head, trying to rid of his thoughts, or even wake himself up from this surreal dream.

_No way! No way!_

There standing before him was a glorious being, yet strangely identical to himself. A young man, a deep tan ran throughout his skin. A crown of black with sharp untidy shades of red violets along the tips.  His bangs were electric yellow shaped like lightning bolts. A pair of glorious crimson eyes, a smirk glazed his lips. His chin was sharp, not smooth and refined like Yuugi's was. He was dressed simply.  A white linen cloth was draped around his broad shoulders.  It was most likely concealing an eight pack. A small violet skirt was tied around his waist by what seemed to be a golden chain with a head of a serpent upon it. A long fluttering cape flowed freely down his body, flaring out at the end.

Strangely enough, the young man reminded Yuugi vastly of another.  Someone whom he just couldn't put his finger on.

The being continued to grin, naive and innocent as 'always'.

"Hello," he said once more. Raising his hand, he clasped it around Yuugi's wrist. Yuugi gasped… startled at the warm, smooth, silky skin of the other. The other's skin was soft, unblemished, as if never felt by a mortal. "Wow! I can't believe those stupid gods actually answered my call for once," the boy stated, obviously ecstatic to find Yuugi 'here'. "Come on, let's play a game."

"Play… a game?" Yuugi gasped out, choking on his own words. The first words he managed to say, to speak since finding another in this darkened room. "Err…" Yuugi fumbled out.  Somehow playing games didn't seem to appeal to him at this moment, especially playing with this strange yet overly familiar boy.

"You don't want to play with me? That's it, isn't it? I'm not good enough for you." The boy pouted. His grin immediately turned into a frown. His eyebrows furrowed, annoyed he dropped Yuugi's wrist.

"Iie! Iie! That's… that's not it. It's…it's just that I… I have to get back. Jii-chan will kill me if he finds out that I'm gone." Yuugi quickly countered. He didn't want this other person to leave.  No matter how moody the other was; he was the only person he had seen since he woke up in this dark place. And Yuugi surely was not willing to let the other go so soon.

"Excuses… excuses. Nobody wants to play with me." The boy grumbled.

"Iie… iie," Yuugi sighed. It was as clear as day that this boy had a one track mind. He wasn't going to get any valuable information out of him, unless he played with him. "Fine, I'll play a game with you, but…"

The other immediately turned around, ecstatic.

Yuugi sweat dropped. _This could be bad_.  "But you got to help me in return," he quickly added.  Not sure if the other would actually honor it, but he still had to try.

"Sure… sure," the boy nodded, absentmindedly before latching on to Yuugi's arm once again. Immediately he took off.  Where… Yuugi didn't know. Everything was dark, except for this boy and himself. It was as if they were carrying an invisible lamp that shown the way.

Yuugi didn't know how long he ran.  How long he would keep running, but obviously the other knew exactly where he was going. The darkness, the fog closed in on them. Soon the other slowed down to a stop.  There, in front of them Yuugi could barely make out a door, a brown door.  It was just a door.  There was no frame, no house, no latch, nothing… just a door.

"We're here."

"Here?" Yuugi asked confused as the boy reached out and opened the door.

A blinding white light…

Yuugi immediately closed his eyes. Confused and disoriented when he opened them.  The door had vanished. _Was there even a door there in the first place?_

A maze surrounded him.  Levels and levels of staircases and doors surrounded him.  Some were upside down.  Some went left, right, in loops, in curves. It was like one of those fun houses, only this didn't look so fun. Actually it felt like a tomb… a deathtrap.

_God! Am I going to get out of this alive?_

"What is this?" Yuugi asked confused, puzzled.

"This… this is…" the other stopped and sighed before pulling Yuugi to a staircase. He popped himself down on a step. His face was no longer happy but downcast. Immediately Yuugi felt sorry for this boy.  He felt sorry that he had been so mean to him, yet deep down he wondered.

 _How long had this boy been here… one day… one year… a hundred years? And why… why was he here? Was he himself going to end like this boy, stuck in this crazy realm for all of eternity?_  

Seeing this boy's somber looks, Yuugi immediately removed such thoughts from his mind.  Instead, willingly he sat down next to the other… and waited. He waited for the other to continue, yet the other didn't. Instead the other continued to stare down at his feet, now numb, not talkative at all.

"So… err." Yuugi started, trying to initiate conversation. He was never good at that. "What's your name?" Normally when someone asks you what your name is, you answer them straight off. Yet… not this strange boy… when asked his name… he immediately froze.

Shyly, he looked up.

As sincere and as quiet as he could be, the boy mumbled. "I… I don't know."

"What!" Yuugi shouted, horrified as he jumped up. He had read about this before. In textbooks, about waking up in strange, dark places and finding someone there without a name. It was the first signs of insanity. Only, only he had been forgetting stuff, blacking out for months now. "You... you don't know? How, can you not know?"

"I… I just don't. I… I don't know much actually. I can't remember anything really. One day… a long time ago… I guess. You don't really know time… or essence here. There's no time here… not really. I… I woke up… and found myself here. Sometimes… I see light… and buildings. There would always be people… in front of me, and… and for some strange reason… I would always be mad at them. I would challenge them to a game… and I would win. I always win, but you're different. You're the first person I've seen that I'm not mad at…no… not at all. And… and I don't really want to play a game. Not really…" The boy sighed, slowly dozing off.

"Wait! Matte!" Yuugi started, horrified as the boy slowly started… disappearing. "Wait! You can't leave. No! How do I get out of here?" The other slowly opened his eyes.  He seemed a little startled.  Slowly his body started to reappear till he was solid once more.

"Yeah, how rude of me," the other sighed. "I… I don't really know how to leave, but maybe they'll show you the way."

"They? Who is 'they'?"

"I don't know.  The thing that surrounds us. I guess we can call them the 'shadows'."

"The shadows?" Yuugi sighed.  His eyebrows raised upwards. "Okay… okay… stop playing around. Tell me what's your name? Who set you up to do this?"

"Set me up?" The other asked, confused.

"Y… You don't know? You… you really don't know who you are? Where you are at?" Yuugi asked.

The other nodded.  "Yeah."

"But… but… that's … that's not possible. Everybody…" Immediately Yuugi paled, realizing just how stupid he was being. He too had no idea where he was. _Wasn't his case the same as this boy? Both lost. No idea where they are at. No clue… nothing. Was he… was he going to forget everything too? His life? His name? His identity? Would people forget about him too? Just like this strange boy who looked like he came out of a history novel?_    "You really don't know… anything?"

"Well… I know this place. Like this maze we're in. I guess it's like a game. I don't know… maybe I got to solve it… yeah solve it then I'll know everything. Yeah… that's what I always tell myself."

"It must be lonely here." Yuugi stated, absentmindedly.

"No… not really. I hear this voice sometimes.  It's really comforting. I've been hearing it since I awoke. It gives me comfort. It's… it's a boy's voice. I don't really know what he's saying.  I can't really hear it. But... it keeps me company. You know? A lot like yours… what's your name again?"

"Yuugi… Mutou Yuugi."

The other nodded.  "Mind if I call you aibou?"

"Aibou?"

"Partner, I don't know, since we're both stuck here and all. I thought it would be… appropriate."

"Alright… then… then I'll call you mou hitori no boku." Without knowing why he said it.  He just did. It just seemed right.

And the two kept talking.  Both boys didn't know how long they talked. Like mou hitori no boku had said.  Rhere was and is no time in this place. It was a realm without time.  A place where people don't grow old.  Where one can spend a second in a lifetime. Yuugi poured his heart and his soul out to his boy- the one he had christened as his 'other self'. While the other told Yuugi stories… old… legendary, forgotten fairy tales of kings, queens, dragons, witches, sorcerers, monsters, and lands that can only happen in fairy tales and one's imagination. And both boys knew their secrets, their dreams, their hopes, their fears would never be heard by another living soul.

A mutual… an untimely bond… one that seemed to have formed a millennium ago, strengthened. And Yuugi forgot about his grandfather, his friends, his problems and his fears as the two baste in the glow of the other. It was a smoothing glow.  One that neither ever remembered experiencing before.

It wasn't until Yuugi let out a yawn that the other frowned. He knew that he had kept Yuugi too long. That, no matter how much he enjoyed his aibou's company. He would have to leave.

"Aibou, you must go now." Mou hitori no boku mumbled, softly. Lightly into the boy's ear.  Lightly he creased the other's hair, winding it around his finger before unwinding it.

"Iie… iie," Yuugi muttered. "No, I want to stay with you forever… itsumo."

"Aibou, you can't. You have to go now. Come on… through that door. Go on.  To your friends, to your jii-chan, they are waiting for you." As if he had lost all feeling, all control of his body, Yuugi stood up. With the help of the other, Yuugi was led to the newly formed door.

"Mou hitori no boku, will… will I ever see you again? Can't you come with me? Come… please."

"No aibou… not now, maybe… someday… someday." The other muttered.  Their lips touched the other's.  It was hasty.  It was hurried, sloppy kiss before Yuugi stepped though the door. He knew not to turn back, because if he did, he knew that his other would not be there.  

No, there would only be a street, a quiet, slumbering street, and around the corner would be Isis' store.

_The END!_

_**A/N:** Haha! No… I'm not that cruel. I bet when you saw that… "the end" your eyes must have gotten like super, super big. Yeah… this is actually where this original fic's ending was supposed to have been. But that would have been cruel… really cruel. Not to mention that I never did explain anything really. Yeah… so… ignore that 'the end' and keep reading._

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The sun rose in the town of Domino. The great bell tower rang six times announcing the break of dawn. In a vacant street, a figure draped in a long white robe bent down and picked up a shining gold ankh. The robe fluttered in the wind. The figure pocketed the item before disappearing…

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

BEEP! BEEP!

Yuugi groaned as he rolled over in his bed. He had been out of the hospital for a month now. The doctors could find nothing wrong with him.  They couldn't find any reason why he had fallen into a sudden coma and awaken as a new man one day later.

It was Sunday, but not any Sunday. It was the Sunday that the annual gaming convention was coming to Domino, and this year was going to be the best of them all especially for Yuugi. His dream had come true. Industrial Illusions had teamed up with Kaiba Corporation to make the most popular online game Magic and Wizards into a real 3D card game. The game, now renamed Duel Monsters was already a hit in America from what Rebecca had told him in her latest email.

Luckily for Yuugi, since his jii-chan had so many connections, he was able to secure tickets for him and Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu. His three friends were going to meet him at the train station, so they could go to the convention together.

Hurriedly Yuugi grabbed a set of clothes and his already loaded backpack. He could hear and smell his jii-chan downstairs making breakfast and his bento. He hesitantly ran his fingers over his long time doll… mou hitori no boku. Things had suddenly gotten a lot awkward between the two. Yuugi didn't really know why, just that, somehow… the doll suddenly looked a lot more life-like.  As if there was a living counterpart of this doll, who dare he think it?

Who he Loved,  adored, cherished and even kissed?

Yuugi gulped.  His face turning a bright shade of red. He hurriedly placed the doll in his backpack, even though things were awkward, he still took the doll everywhere he went before running downstairs.

In less then five minutes he called out a rushed 'ja ne'.  He promised to tell his jii-chan all about the newest games especially Duel Monsters, and ran out the door. He was already five minutes late.  Hopefully his friends hadn't gotten too impatient.  No, more like Jounouchi's stomach hadn't gotten impatient which would result in the blond rushing off to the first food stand he saw and fill his stomach. That boy had a stomach like a cow's.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Ten minutes later, an exuberant Yuugi jumped off a Domino metro bus. He easily spotted Jounouchi and Honda's lanky forms in the distance. His smile widened as he made his way through the massive crowd. They were all going in the same direction, as if a colossal magnet was drawing them forward.

Finally, Yuugi made it. Now out of breath and a little battered. "Hey Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun!" Yuugi stammered. A little confused, he strained his neck looking around the two teenage boys who returned with their own greetings.

Puzzled, Yuugi looked back at his two friends, "where's Anzu?"

"Out with her new boyfriend," Jounouchi said simply, a little disgusted.

"Boyfriend?" Yuugi's eyes widened. "But I thought she wanted to go to the convention with us." He quickly added, hiding his disappointment. He was looking forward to spending more time with Anzu now that they had become friends. He was even hoping that maybe someday, Anzu would return his feelings for him, and they could possibly "go out". Now, he seemed to have lost his only chance. He knew it was a miracle that Anzu had stayed single for so long.

"Disappointed?" Jounouchi sniggered.  He lightly nudged the other's hips playfully.

"Iie! Iie!" Yuugi stammered. Causing both Jounouchi and Honda to snigger, for a long time now, both boys had a feeling that "little" Yuugi was in love with Anzu.

"Or maybe … jealous is more little it," Honda hinted, attempting to keep his face straight.

"No, no. It's just that we now have one extra ticket." Yuugi fidgeted, before drawing out the four now overly creased tickets.

"Well you should be. I can't believe it! Anzu knows how much we despise HIM! Now… she's going out with him. Kami!" Jounouchi hissed.  His face fuming with anger, a little red.

"Who? Who's she going out with? And know do you guys know about it?"

"Little prissy called us five minutes before you showed up. Seems like she's been keeping it a secret for the last two weeks, and then decided to finally let us know." Jounouchi snorted.  His face still red. "Went something like this.  'Oh, Jounouchi, Honda. I'm soo sorry. Tell Yuugi that I can't come with you guys. I'm going to the convention with Seto, my boyfriend.' Sorry my ass." Jounouchi grumbled, yet Yuugi had stopped listening the moment Jounouchi had said Seto

_Seto? Kaiba Seto? Kaiba-kun? She's going out with Kaiba-kun?_

"Well, did you tell her good luck?" Yuugi asked.  His obvious disappointed now hidden from view. "Well, never mind. We can't let her going out with Kaiba-kun ruin our day. Come on. Jii-chan's going to be mad if we don't get to see all the booths."

"Right, exactly, come on 'inu'." Honda snorted before grabbing on to Jounouchi's jacket collar.

A confused Yuugi followed behind. _Inu? Do I really want to know?_

Despite Yuugi's disappointment that Anzu wasn't with them, and Jounouchi's fuming for unknown reasons, the game convention turned out to be extraordinary. Within minutes everything that had happened prior to arriving was forgotten. Somehow Jounouchi had forgotten that his little sister was also coming.  Upon seeing Shizuka, Honda immediately latched onto his girlfriend's arm. After saying a hurried, 'I'll take care of her' to the deeply annoyed Jounouchi. Both Honda and Shizuka disappeared into the crowd.

"Guess it's just you and me, huh Yuugi?"

"Yep. So… what do you want to do first?" Yuugi asked. Jounouchi immediately shook his head, exasperated.

"Yuugi! I know you long enough already. I know you want to see that Duel Monsters exhibition, ne?"

"Hmm… maybe… yeah." Yuugi fumbled, causing Jounouchi to snicker. He loved making fun of Yuugi, especially since he never took it very seriously.  It was a 'mutual understanding' as some would call it.

The two teen boys, laughing and shouting, as their raced each other to the booth despite Yuugi's short form, he still beat Jounouchi there. Probably due to all the times in his youth when he had to out run the bullies that used to chase him home.

"Welcome! Welcome to the newest… hottest time…" A blaring, quite familiar voice reached both Yuugi and Jounouchi's ears. There, standing behind highly decorative posters of random Duel Monsters, was a young teenage girl dressed in a very, very short skirt. It barely covered… well nothing. In her hand was a wand. Yuugi immediately started drooling.  The girl was beautiful. She was dressed like the Dark Magician Girl, one of his most favorite cards when he played Magic and Wizards. Only this time, Jounouchi wasn't smiling. His eyes were plate size as he grabbed Yuugi's collar, dragging the now dazed boy inside the booth.

"So Masaki! This is what your DATE is like!" Jounouchi shouted, startling Yuugi and Anzu and causing a large racket outside.

"Jou… Jounouchi, Yuugi? What… what are you doing here?"

"Anzu?" Yuugi gasped.  Immediately he wiped his mouth. Still, he couldn't contain his astonishment.

Anzu… Anzu was beautiful. She looked so sexy. The young brunette, now looked absolutely pissed, hopped off the stage, but not before declaring to the crowd that she would be back soon after sorting out a bit of "technical problems".

Immediately she shoved both boys into the back room.  There, a massive duel monster stood on the field.

"Waa! That's… that's…" Yuugi stammered.

"Seto's 3D dueling arena, it creates a hologram of the duel monster."

"It… it's stunning."

"Figures moneybags would do something like this," Jounouchi scoffed.

"Anzu…" A voice stated, obviously surprised. Immediately Anzu dropped Yuugi's shirt collar and ran to the voice. She wrapped her arms around the other. Sighing as the other lightly stroked her tresses.

"Inu!" Ignoring Jounouchi's protesting and profanity, the other continued. "Yuugi! What a pleasant surprise. I heard from Anzu… here." Lightly she kissed the girl's cheeks. Yuugi, now following in Jounouchi's stead, fumed. A tiny, nudging feeling in his stomach as if a monster that had been sleeping inside of him was slowing starting to awaken, and boy did it want Kaiba to die. "That you love Duel Monsters. How about we duel? I wasn't planning on starting the exhibition battles till later," Kaiba sighed, smirking as he watched both Jounouchi and Yuugi's expressions.

_Kami is love a petty thing to have. Makes even the strongest weak._

"But, I've heard you're one of best at Magic and Wizards. So, what do you say Yuugi? I have thousands of cards here. Chose some, make your own deck. Ne?" Kaiba's smile widened as he watched Yuugi's expression immediately become serious.

_Jealously is so fun to play with._

Kaiba sighed, gently peeling Anzu from his body. "Want to see me bea… I mean duel Yuugi… dear?"

"Oh yes," Anzu swooned, now fully intoxicated by Kaiba's being.

Yuugi's brow creased. Jounouchi continued to fume. "Fine, I'll accept your challenge."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Twenty minutes later, much to Jounouchi's horror, Anzu and Kaiba's delight, and Yuugi's amazement, the dueling arena rose into the air, high, high above the rest of the convention for everyone to witness.

For Kaiba, it would the feeling of revenge, revenge for Yuugi actually beating him at chess which nobody, not even his now decreased adopted father had ever managed, and for the horrors he had inflicted on Mokuba.

His dear little brother had never been the same since.

'Demon eyes… blood eyes' Mokuba had been rambling on and on for a month now.

"I'll start…" Kaiba declared, smirking as he set his cards down.

The duel progressed. Slowly… and surely… bits and chips of life points from both players started to disappear. Neither duelist could proclaim that the other wasn't worthy. Both had years of knowledge and experiences, decades of strategies.

The feeling of cards, the familiarity of the roar of the monsters, they tugged at Yuugi's heart. At his chest, his own body burned, burned in a blaze of gold.

His eyes dulled over, slowly and surely he felt his mind, his spirit, his soul leave his body. It was suffocating feeling as he watched, dazed as another soul entered his body.  Another spirit picked up his duel with Kaiba. Slowly, and surely he didn't know when or how, but his spirit like body landed in a darkened abyss. And suddenly, he knew, he knew he had indeed been here before, many times.

Only, only this time he didn't fall asleep instead he saw. His eyes widened as he saw the all too familiar maze. It wasn't a dream.  That night, that night with that other boy, hadn't been a dream. It really had happened.

Immediately a red flush tinted his cheeks as he remembered.  He remembered everything.  The kiss… the touch… everything… the other's rich aromatic smell.

Suddenly, all too soon, it felt as if a cold knife had sunk into his heart, shredding it into a thousand pieces.

" _Sometimes, I see light… and buildings. There would always be people… in front of me, and… and for some strange reason… I would always be mad at them. I would challenge them to a game… and I would win. I hear this voice sometimes.  It's really comforting. I've been hearing it since I awoke. It keeps me comfort. It's, it's a boy's voice. I don't really know what he's saying.  I can't really hear it. But, it keeps me company. You know? A lot like yours…"_

_Of course it's a lot of mine… cause… cause it is mine. It… it was… iie… it was him. I'm the one… the voice he's been hearing. Those fights… those challenges… they were all games he fought for me. All those people… who've gone insane? All those people… he… he… he…_

"NOO!" Yuugi screamed.  On and on he screamed in the dark abyss. Crying, crying,  only the tears never fell. If sorrow could be measured with gold, Yuugi would be unbelievably rich.

And all too soon, the other had returned. A smirk on his face, yet it slowly, slowly disappeared as he saw his aibou's sobbing form.

Slowly, slowly he walked over to the boy.

He reached out his hand and lightly ran it across his aibou's body.

Yuugi immediately flinched. The other's hand fell as Yuugi looked up. His eyes were swollen and red. "Why… why?" He muttered. "Why! Why did you KILL them!" Yuugi screamed.  His voice nearly gone, but the other knew, knew as he sat down on the ground. The other sighed.

"I didn't… kill… them as you put it," the other stated simply.

"No," Yuugi shrieked. "Of course not, that's not enough for you. Death… what is death to you? Here, in this dark abyss as you put it. There is no time here.  Time is not an essence. No! You couldn't even give those people DEATH! Iie, you had to take away their souls, their minds, so… so they can never die. You're worse then a murderer… WORSE! You're… not human… iie… you're not human."

"I knew, I knew that someday you would ask me this question. I knew it would be soon after we met that day. That day you came here and was awake. I thought about how to answer your question for a long time. A very long time, in my maze, I would think. I would think of a way to answer your question. Why did I do what I did? Why did I 'mind crush' all those people?"

"Well?" Yuugi asked simply, disgusted and hurt that even now. Even though he was accusing this boy of murder, deep down in the bottom of his heart, an undying fire of love continue to burn… to rage for this boy.

"And… I don't know. I don't know why I killed them. It's… it's too deep to describe… much too deep. But, but someday I think you will understand why I did what I did. Someday you will know. And, and you are right. I am… inhumane." The other sighed. "And that is probably why I've been caste here for so long. The outside world is not a place for me.  See what I have done." The other sighed, as slowly, slowly he merged with the darkness surrounding them both.

"Pff… murderer! MURDERER! You're a murderer… and… and I hate you! I don't want to be your aibou! NEVER!" Yuugi shouted.  He screamed his heart out before collapsing into a pile of mush.

Somewhere, somewhere in the darkness, the other watched on. His heart throbbed with pain. He knew that Yuugi would react this way. His dear, precious aibou.

Yuugi didn't know how long he was in this dark abyss, crying, screaming, before awaking.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The golden sun beams were starting to disappear for the day, so that the moon beams could take their place. A light, warm hand creased his cheeks as he awoke. His amethyst eyes fluttered in the fluorescent lighted room.

"A…Anzu." Yuugi moaned.

"Shh…don't speak Yuugi." The girl muttered. Clearly she had been crying from the way that her eyes were red.  Actually her whole body looked like a mess.

"Wh… what happened?" Yuugi asked, not following Anzu's warnings.

"You scared us Yuugi. You really did. You've been out for nearly two weeks now, in coma. The doctors were afraid you were never going to w… wake up." Tears splashed out of Anzu's face.  Slowly Yuugi's raised his left hand and wiped the girl's tears away. "W… we thought you were going to leave us. Leave us… forever." She muttered.

"Iie… iie… never." Yuugi muttered.

"One minute you had just won your duel against that disgusting Kaiba."

"Kaiba-kun?" Yuugi asked, before letting out a small oh. "Your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend," Anzu spat. "That's jerk! He obviously only wanted to go out with me to get to duel you. Something about revenge on some chess match! The nerve of that guy!  Should have seen Kaiba's face when you fainted. The whole gaming convention became a fiasco, everybody running, shouting. Thought there was something in the air when you didn't wake up." Anzu voice slowly calmed before it was once more became her normal cheerful self, yet Yuugi knew she wasn't cheerful.

His 'fainting' as she put it, as everyone put it seconds later. His jii-chan, Jounouchi and Honda soon crowded into the room, followed closely by a reluctant Kaiba. His arms were crossed.  His lips were pursed.

As he advanced up to Yuugi's bed, Anzu gave the other a death stare. Kaiba coughed before dropping something on Yuugi's bed. "Hope you feel better," he muttered before immediately rushing out the room, before anybody could comment.

A small smile slowly appeared on Yuugi's face.

_He's not really all that bad. A little conceited maybe… then again everybody is a little conceited… mixed… hidden intentions… even…_

Yuugi couldn't bring himself to finish his thoughts. He was still too mad, still too mad.

"Well, what did o' money bags give you?" Jounouchi immediately questioned. A grin radiated on his lips.

"Why does it matter?" Anzu snapped, still very sour about her discovery of Kaiba that he really wasn't all that grand.

Jounouchi simply gave Anzu an annoyed stare before turning his attention back at Yuugi. "Come on,  open it."

"Yeah Yuugi, open it." Honda added.  He too was interested in what a millionaire could possibly give his "little" buddy.

"Alright," Yuugi nodded hasty tearing open the gift. There lying on the bed now devoid of the wrappings was a black leather belt, attached to it was a small carrying case. Anzu's eyebrows rose.

"That's it?" She asked, a little confused.

Yuugi shrugged his shoulders as he picked up the belt and opened the small case. There a stack of about 40 cards was neatly tucked within. Confused Yuugi pulled out the stack.  His eyes along with that of his friends and grandfather widened. It was a stack of Duel Monsters cards.

"Guess Kaiba not all that bad, ne Anzu?" Sugoruku chuckled.

"Yeah," Jounouchi nodded before slightly turning red as his stomach gave off a small growl. Once more, he turned to look at Anzu.  Her face covered in tears, yet sparking as she watched Yuugi flip through the dueling cards. A small smirk ran over his face.

_It couldn't be… could it?_

"Come on Honda. Let's go find something to eat."

"You go." Honda said simply.

"No, let's go," Sugoruku added.  He too noticed the signs of budding love as with Jounouchi the two managed to cart Honda out of Yuugi's room leaving a very embarrassed Anzu and an oblivious Yuugi.

"You like Duel Monsters that much?" Anzu asked simply, trying to start a conversation. It had been a long time since the two of them had been alone together. Suddenly it appeared terribly hot to her as Yuugi set the deck back into the case.

"Uh huh! I use to play the game online."

"Well, you're really good at it." Anzu added.  Her face grew more and more red.

"Nah, I'm just mediocre. There are thousands of people better than me."

"Okay, then name one."

"Err…"

"See, you can't think of any." Anzu smirked, triumphant. She didn't know why she felt so good proving to Yuugi that he really was good at something.

"That doesn't mean there aren't any. Besides, I haven't played against that many people."

"Well, you're obviously better than Kaiba. That jerk!"

"He's not that bad Anzu."

"Yeah right!" The girl scoffed. "He made a fool out of me! I… I really thought he cared. Really… not… not many people in the world care about me. I… I wanted to seem special to someone. I wanted to feel protected. I wanted to feel loved.  I wanted to feel… special."

_Loved…special… protected._

"And… and he played with that. He probably knew that my parents never have time with me. Masaki, the class president, the popular one! Hmph!"

"Y… you are special, Anzu. Real special." Yuugi added, softly. Slowly, scared as he was, he began to understand.

"Aww, you're so nice Yuugi."

"No, I'm telling the truth. You are special, and, and the guy who will have you, he'll be the luckiest guy in the whole world." Yuugi quickly added.

Anzu blushed.

"Stop it Yuugi! You're embarrassing me." The girl quickly added. She felt her heart flutter, as if the cocoon within her finally, slowly burst, and out from it, a beautiful butterfly appeared. "I… I better go," she added quickly before getting up.

She said a quick 'good-bye' before leaving. Leaving a very confused Yuugi.  Anzu… or… or… dare he speak the name… mou hitori no boku.

He loved them both so deeply. He wished.  He longed for them both. Slowly his heart shattered knowing…that he could have only one.

Long ago, maybe just, Yuugi scoffed.  Two weeks earlier he would have been ecstatic to know that Anzu really did care for him.

Now, now there was somebody else in his heart. Somebody, who he just couldn't keep hating.

"I… I have to see him again. Rell him I'm sorry." Yuugi muttered as he gently pulled out the dueling deck.  This time, a thin sheet of white paper came out with it. Wondering how he could have missed it the first time, Yuugi opened it.

There, in slanted, sophisticated handwriting, were the words: _you better get well soon. Here's your deck. I challenge you to a rematch. – Kaiba._

"Kaiba-kun…" Yuugi smiled.  He tucked the deck back into the pocket.

Jounouchi was right. Kaiba really isn't that bad, just maybe a little too obsessive.

Slowly Yuugi's eyes closed, and he knew.  He didn't know how but he knew.  When he opened them again, he would be in that strange dark realm. And he knew now just what he was going to say to his other self.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Mou hitori no boku," Yuugi muttered.

The young boy stood up, lightly patting his legs. He had already gotten use to the darkness that suffocating fog. Now, this time he was only concerned about one thing, finding his other self. "Mou hitori no boku! Where are you? I… I've come to ask for your apology. Y… you're right. You don't know, and I don't know, how to explain it.  Why you did what you did. But… I think… deep down… I know…"

"Shh," a deep baritone muttered. Lightly the other wrapped his arms around Yuugi, cradling him in his arms. "Shh, you have nothing to apology for. No, no, my beautiful aibou."

"Mou hitori no boku, come… come back with me. Onegai."

The other simply nodded, and Yuugi knew as he flowed into the other's arms, when he awoke.  His other self would be with him… forever.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

One month later, a very late Yuugi hurried into Domino High. He was fuming as was his transparent 'other self'. As luck would have it, even though mou hitori no boku did appear in his world now. It seemed that he was the only person in the physical world who could see, hear or talk to his other self.

The first day, upon awaking at the hospital he was very startled and pleased to find his other self hovering over him. Before the other could warn the boy, Yuugi had already tried introducing him to his friends, who by the way were now overly worried that the multi black outs were causing the boy to become disillusioned.

Once they had left, Yuugi couldn't help but fume at his other self who was pleasantly grinning at his aibou.

"I tried warning you, Aibou."

Yuugi sealed his lips and refused to talk until, quite evilly the other started tickling him.

"God! The next time that Kaiba challenges you to a duel.  I'm going to mind crush him!" Mou hitori no boku hissed, overly annoyed that quite possibly his aibou was going to be late.

"Now, now mou hitori no boku. You promised. No more mind crushing everybody that you hate or get on your nerves. Besides, you know Kaiba-kun. He'll keep challenging me till he wins."

"You know he'll never win."

"Yeah," Yuugi giggled as he exchanged his shoes before entering his classroom to find his friends already there.

Without even asking Anzu coughed out a word that distinctly sounded an awful a lot like 'Kaiba'.

Before Yuugi could comment, the sensei entered the room.

The class immediately became quiet as all the students found their seats.

Unlike a normal day, they didn't start with the normal routine instead the teacher started writing on the board. Immediately the class became restless, knowing that meant only one thing, a new student.

Everyone's neck seemed to have grown an extra foot as they craned to be the first to see this new student.

"Everyone!" The teacher began.

Rhe class immediately sat back down as the sliding door opened.

There, a young boy with snowy white hair and chocolate brown eyes appeared. He was already wearing the normal school uniform, but it was quite apparent that he was very uncomfortable in it.

"Everybody, this is Bakura Ryou. He's a transfer student from Tokyo."

The girls immediately giggled. They had found their new 'subject'. Not only was Bakura from Tokyo, a city much more interesting than Domino could ever be, but he was incredibly cute.

"Now, where to seat you? Ahh!  There by Mutou. Mutou raise your hand."

Yuugi immediately obliged.

_This new transfer student did look nice.  Maybe they could even be friends?_

As Ryou walked over, Yuugi grinned.

"Hi!"

The other made no comment. No smile.  He seemed not to have recognized Yuugi at all. Yuugi bit his lips, a little annoyed.

"He's not very polite," Yuugi commented.

"He's very peculiar. I sense something, different about him." Mou hitori no boku remarked, yet Yuugi had no time to question his other self as class began.

He quickly found his notebook and a pen and started copying the day's notes, and mou hitori no boku knew not to talk to Yuugi during class. The last time they did, Yuugi ended up with detention for three days.

As the day dragged on, mou hitori no boku returned to his dark realm and thoughts.

He thought about the strange transfer student. How the boy's aura reminded him faintly of that of another.  Someone, someone in his distant… now lost memory.

And that was what mou hitori no boku did while Yuugi was learning. He would try to solve the mysteries of his past, find his name,  his memory and solve the maze that stumped both he and Yuugi.

At least now, he wasn't lonely any more. He had his aibou.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

One month later, Yuugi trudged dejectedly out of Domino High. An exasperated sigh left his lips, another long day. A wrinkled sheet of paper was clinched in his fist.  His grade from his latest chemistry test, like always a prefect score.

"Yuugi!" An overly excited voice shouted. The teen immediately skid to a stop, waiting to let his friend catch up.

"Jounouchi-kun, I thought you had to get to work." Yuugi exclaimed.  His brow furrowed as he watched Jounouchi sheepishly rub the back of his neck.

"Err, yeah about that… yeah… I…"

"You got fired again! Jounouchi-kun! Your otousan won't like it."

"That old man… pff… yeah probably. Pissed that he wouldn't get his daily dose of alcohol," the blond sighed as Yuugi couldn't help but giggle.

"So, tell me. What did you do this time?"

"It wasn't my fault I set that guy's hair piece on fire." Jounouchi lamented.  

Yuugi pursed his lips, trying to keep a straight face. It was a running gag that the two had.

Jounouchi losing his job, and Yuugi and him would laugh and joke about it.

"You always do find the most 'unique' ways to lose your job."

"Arigotou. Arigotou. I do try my best." Jounouchi smirked. "So… Yuugi. What are your plans for the weekend?"

"I don't know. I was thinking about marching up to Kaiba Corp and demanding Kaiba a rematch." Yuugi teased watching Jounouchi's brow furrow. The other either seemed immensely disturbed at Yuugi spending time with Kaiba or immensely annoyed.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I thought it would only be fair. I mean.  I can't let Kaiba-kun have all the fun now can I Jounouchi-kun? Nah, I was thinking about breaking into one of his board meetings or something." Yuugi continued, suddenly liking this idea more and more as he continued to divulge on this elaborate plan that ended with him actually kidnapping Kaiba and taking the brunette to some exotic island to be harassed by a band of insane monkeys.

"Aibou," Mou hitori no boku spoke, a little annoyed.

"Gomen mou hitori no boku."

"I don't know Yuugi. I don't know if I should feel sorrier for Kaiba or the monkeys. Once they discover he's so cold and hard…"

"Inu… sigh. I was right. You have absolutely no style," a deep baritone voice sighed. Jounouchi's eyes immediately narrowed as he met the young CEO's glaze.

"Grr."

"Now, now inu. It shouldn't be grr, more like woof woof. A pup's bark suits you better inu." Kaiba chuckled.

He lightly tossed back a piece of his brown bangs before walking over to Yuugi.

Jounouchi who's eyes looked like they couldn't get any more narrow, continued to growl under his breath.

"I heard your elaborate story Yuugi." Yuugi immediately blushed, deeply embarrassed. "And I'm impressed, not many people have to courage to say they are going to storm into one of my conferences. But I seem to have beat you once again.  I challenge you to a duel, now."

The tri-haired boy nodded already reaching to grab his deck. "Aibou, let me duel him."

"You promise you won't mind crush him?"

The other 'Yuugi' huffed, obviously deeply annoyed that his aibou would not allow him to rid the world of the annoying brown hair teenage CEO. "I promise." Mou hitori no boku stated, grunting but still relented.

Yuugi nodded as he lowered his eyes. Slowly he felt the all too familiar tug at the bottom of his heart as his soul slowly left his body to be replaced by another.

Slowly he left himself falling, falling into his other self's maze. Yuugi found himself a comfortable spot on a step and waited for his other self to return.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Kami Aibou! How do you put with that bastard? He… he's so conceited!"

Yuugi smirked before wrapping his arms around his other self.

The younger sighed, feeling the other's bare skin upon his skin.

The never dispersing purple gas surrounded their forms, now so ordinary that it had become even friendly. A smile played upon his strawberry scented lips. He lightly tugged at his other's golden bangs. "Easy, mou hitori no boku, I have you."

The other's eyes immediately narrowed. He pursed his lips. "Aibou! I am not conceited!"

Yuugi giggled. "Denial is not healthy, mou hitori no boku."

"I am not in denial!"

"Saying you're not means you are." Yuugi grinned.

The other groaned.

He loved it when he won against his other self in language battles.

"I don't even know why I bother."

"Cause, I think Kaiba-kun's starting to grow on you."

Mou hitori no boku's eyes immediately widened.

Yuugi giggled.  His other self looked so cute and cuddly when his blazing crimson red eyes widened to twice its capability.

"Err… iie Aibou. So… when you asking Masaki out?" The other asked 'innocently'.

Yuugi momentarily stiffened, pulling slightly away from his other self's body. He gave the other a perplexed stare, and his heart beat dropped.

Times like these really caused Yuugi to wonder where he and his other self stood in terms of their relationship.

_Were they just friends, only good friends, or dare he dream, something more?_

"I wish you would stop calling Anzu that." Yuugi snapped, a little too harshly.

"Why not? Still, that's not the point. So, Aibou, you going to ask her out soon? She's single and looking young. If you don't take this perfect opportunity, you may lose it." Mou hitori no boku teased, grinning at Yuugi's expression.

"Watashi, I don't know."

Mou hitori no boku's eyes narrowed.

Lightly he stroked Yuugi's neck.  The younger boy immediately felt his skin prick up.  The fine thin hair around his neck region stood up on ends.

The other grinned.

"You should probably get back to your studies."

Yuugi nodded, sighing as he closed his eyes.

Slowly he felt his spirit being transported back into his mind and body, and he knew when he opened his eyes he would back in his room, surrounded by his homework, piles of it.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

_Maybe mou hitori no boku is right... I mean... I've loved Anzu for so long. And... and I mean..._

Yuugi groaned in frustration.  A book was propped up on his chest.  One of those annoying historical fiction books he had to read for class.

He was tempted to go outside and pick one of those flowers with petals to determine his fate, before he realized there wouldn't be a single flower within walking distance of his house.

His jii-san didn't want a lawn in front of his shop.  He said he was too old to mow the lawn but more likely, it was because he was too lazy. And it seemed like everyone else who owned a shop near his house felt the same way.

Yuugi sighed, grumbling once more as he reached over for his age old doll. Lightly he ran his fingers through the doll's long blond bangs.  Even now, after so many years, the doll still smelled like rich Egyptian spices. It always cleared his mind.

"What do you think? Should I go for Anzu?"

The doll, like always never responded.  Its stitched on smile grinned on. A sunbeam caught its ruby stoned eyes, twinkling merrily.

Like always, Yuugi took it as a sign. "Kami!  You and mou hitori no boku are the same! Both want me to go after Anzu. Blah." Yuugi grumbled, a little annoyed.

_RING! Ring!_

"Damn," Yuugi muttered fumbling with his book and doll as he reached over to grab his cordless phone.

"Moshi. Moshi. Oh Anzu! What's up?" Yuugi's nodded.  Slowly his eyes widened. "NANI! Jounouchi-kun did what! He went to challenge Kaiba-kun to prove he's not a inu five hours ago!"

Silence once more.

"Okay... okay Anzu. I'll go to Kaiba Corp. I'm sure its nothing."

Silence...

Yuugi nodded as he jumped out of his bed. He fumbled with the phone as he attempted to pull on a pair of slacks and overcoat. His jeans were all dirty, and he was currently too lazy to go wash them.

"Don't worry Anzu. I'll go. Sayonara."

Yuugi added, lightly breathing in a sigh of relief as he set the phone down ten minutes later.

_Kami could Anzu talk!_

He hastily grabbed his dueling deck before passing a glance at his doll, who was staring back at him, who looked deeply annoyed.

"Okay... okay. I'll call Anzu back after I sort out this problem with Jounouchi," Yuugi added grumbling as he picked up the doll.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

A hour later, after four buses and a horrid traffic even for Japan, Yuugi finally managed to arrive at Kaiba Corp.

His patience was already waning as other self could easily tell.

His aibou was actually fuming as he pushed his way into the gigantic Kaiba Corp office building.

Nobody asked him who was or who he was here to see; nobody stopped him. Everybody knew. They all knew why Yuugi was here.

After all, they had seen their CEO drag this boy here many times a week. His face was masked with annoyance as he watched Kaiba's elevator, slowly ascend to the roof. It somehow seemed to take longer today then it normally did.

"Aibou, seriously, if you stare at that number anymore you might blow it up." Mou hitori no boku teased, deeply amused at his aibou's expression.

It wasn't everyday that he saw Yuugi annoyed; actually there were very few things in this world that actually annoyed Yuugi.

"Haha, mou hitori no boku. I can see what you mean. Kaiba-kun is... soo..." The elevator door slid open.  Before Yuugi and his other, a gigantic 3D dueling stadium came into view. Both boys' eyes widened.  There, standing mere centimeters from them was...

"Jou... Jounouchi-kun... Kaiba-kun. Kami!"

Hearing his friend's shouts, Jounouchi immediately turned around.  Kaiba's arms still latched around his waist.

"You... you... you and Kaiba-kun? I think I'm going to faint!"

The young CEO's face was masked with amusement as he watched Jounouchi's best friend.  His rival's eyes widen.

"Oh Aibou... Aibou. Didn't I tell you Kaiba was conceited or is wicked a better word? But then again Jounouchi isn't any better." The other sighed, teasing his aibou playfully.

"You... you knew?" Yuugi's asked.  His mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Of course I knew. It was as plain as daylight." The other shrugged, smirking.

"Yeah, Seto and I..." Jounouchi said sheepishly.

"Seto?"

"Yeah Yuugi, Seto, seems like we have more in common then expected."

"Haha.  That's a understatement.  Only your mouths have stuff in common." Mou hitori no boku scoffed since only Yuugi could hear. Yuugi merely glared at his other self.

"What inu here means is.  We're together." Kaiba grinned, smirking, ruffing his love's hair causing Jounouchi to glare at his very recently acquired boyfriend. The young CEO couldn't help but grin at Yuugi's expression. If he hadn't long fallen in love for Jounouchi, at this very moment he felt very tempted to screw Yuugi over.

"Congratulations! I... I better go," Yuugi fumbled, retreating back to the elevator and hurriedly pushed a random button.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

It wasn't till ten o'clock that night when Yuugi finally managed to make it home. He decided to bypass another bus ride and decided to walk home. A very bad idea since he kept getting side tracked at all the new shops that had just recently opened that were directed towards Duel Monsters.

Absentmindedly, Yuugi tossed his set of keys on the kitchen counter before rummaging through his fridge for a bite to eat.  Maybe even last night's leftovers that he had cooked. As he pulled his dinner out, he felt his other self retreating back into that dark realm.  That place that he couldn't describe.

He haphazardly twirled his chopsticks around his noodles. It was a bad habit that he had when he had a lot on his mind.

He had started to without meaning it... beginning to play with his food.

Discovering that Jounouchi and Kaiba were going out had been a very big initial shock for him, but after walking around Domino for so many hours the shock had worn off. Now he felt positively delighted for his best friend.

_Kami was Anzu... Anzu..._

"Anzu! Shit!" Yuugi leaped out of his seat and immediately grabbed the closest phone to him. "Shit! Anzu's going to kill me! She's probably worried sick right now... thinking that Kaiba abducted both me and Jounuchi-kun! She never did like Kaiba-kun in the first place." Hurriedly Yuugi dialed Anzu's home number, after a couple of rings the young woman's voice appeared through the speaker.

"Hey Anzu. Yeah, I'm so s..." Yuugi's eyes widened. "Oh, Jounouchi-kun called you, and he told you about Kaiba-kun. It's it great Anzu?" Immediately Yuugi cringed and felt bad. He mentally wanted to slap himself. _Of course Anzu wasn't going to be glad._

She had secretly liked Kaiba for a long time, now to discover he was going out was Jounouchi was not going to make her ecstatic.

"Iie Anzu. You're wrong. Come on. You know it's not true. People in this world do care about you." Yuugi mentally wanted to kick himself as he heard Anzu's sobbing form over the receiver, her hiccups, her crying that nobody cared. Even her parents who were never home didn't care and once again that old throbbing wound in Yuugi's heart tore open.

He had never told his friends about his parents. He always let them assume that his parents were away on a very long business trip thus was why he lived with his grandfather.

They never knew.  They never knew that they had died in a cave in, suffocating to death.

"Anzu... I..." Taking a deep breath, Yuugi decided.

_Mou hitori no boku is a friend... just a friend... only a friend._

He couldn't remember the rest of his phone conversation with Anzu.  Only that he had invited her to the coffee shop next friday.

Absentmindedly after muttering a sincere good bye, he hung up the phone.

As he walked back to the kitchen, suddenly his heart felt heavy, not the light, floating on clouds feeling that he thought he would feel when he finally asked Anzu out.

As he picked up his chopsticks, his other self slow materialized before him.

"Aibou, you okay?" The other asked, as innocent, as naive as possible, for without Yuugi knowing, his other self had heard everything, everything, his words and his thoughts.

"I... did it mou hitori no boku. I... I asked Anzu out..." And Yuugi felt himself shake as he spoke, the words burned his lips as they left his mouth.

"Oh, that's... good." Mou hitori no boku replied.  He couldn't say anything else. Slowly, he disappeared once more, leaving Yuugi feeling more and more alone. And slowly Yuugi felt his mind shut down...

His dinner lay forgotten as he climbed into bed.

He felt his tears threaten to fall, yet he kept them back.

His... his childhood wish was finally coming true.  By next friday, he would have Anzu.  

 _So, so why did it hurt so much?_   _Why did it hurt like a thousand swords had slabbed him over and over again?_

As Yuugi slept, Mou hitori no boku sat on a step in his maze, for once in a very long time he felt the same suffocation that Yuugi felt that day he awoke in the dark realm.

His body hurt all over, and suddenly for the first time, since he could remember.  He discovered what heart break was...

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

A deeply red faced Yuugi fumbled with his wrist band. He had been adjusting its position for the last twenty minutes.

Yet, no matter how hard he moved it up and down his wrist, he never seemed satisfied.  Or was it because he had long stopped paying attention to his actions? Under his breathe, in a mere whisper he continued to recite his long awaited speech.

On his left, his other watched on, absolutely silent.

He hadn't said anything to his aibou since Yuugi told him about his date with Anzu.

Instead, till this very moment, he had refused to leave his dark haven, refusing to answer Yuugi's pleading.

Now, he stood as regal as ever.  His arms were crossed. His lips deeply pursed, and his ruby red eyes looked ready to kill.

Though Yuugi noticed none of the signs.

His 'date' with Anzu was going to start in a hour.

The deep silence dragged on in the room.  A fly buzzed into the room before flying out the open window. A light breeze blew through the air.

Yuugi let out a sigh, finally removing his hand from his wristband.

He cocked his head only then did he notice mou hitori no boku leaning against his mirror.

"You finally decided to come out I see." Yuugi teased.  His mood had reverted back to its normal brightness since Sunday. "Come to give me pointers, or are you still giving me the silent treatment?"

"Jounouchi and Kaiba seem happy." Mou hitori no boku finally stated, avoiding Yuugi's question.

"Yeah, I've noticed. I've never seen him that happy before. I think they are the best for each other... as long as they don't kill each other." Yuugi giggled. Mou hitori no boku felt himself melting, falling as Yuugi reached for his coat.

"Yeah, they really do seem to love each other a lot."

"Yep. Everyone seemed a lot brighter today. Even Bakura-kun, he even smiled at me today. I wish Bakura-kun would smile more. He seems so sad all the time."

"Yeah... yeah."

"What do you think? Red or white?"

"Huh?" Mou hitori no boku asked a little disorientated as he turned to fully face his aibou. The younger seemed to have magically produced two bundles of flowers.  He recognized them as the flowers that normally have thorns. One bundle was red.  The other was white. "What are these disgusting things?"

"Things? You really are behind times, mou hitori no boku. These... things as you call it are roses. Girls love them."

"Well, then I say that girls these days have no taste. I mean who likes flowers with thorns?"

"You're a riot mou hitori no boku." Yuugi grinned, delicately he rubbed the petals of the flowers, slowly combining the two into one bouquet.

Mou hitori no boku sighed once more, slowly... painfully... though he knew it was wrong.

Though he knew deep down. Although he didn't know how he knew, he felt himself falling, falling into a deep curse that he swore to himself he would not fall into.

"Aibou," mou hitori no boku whispered.  His voice was low and soft.

Yuugi barely caught it.  His breath hicked as the baritone voice reached his ears. Once again, no matter how much he wished it didn't happen.  He felt it once more. He was falling... falling once more.

"Hai, mou hitori no boku." Yuugi breathed, fearing he would collapse under the pressure of his beating heart.

"Would... would you mind terribly if I wished... begged... you wouldn't go see Anzu tonight. No... not tonight...not ever."

"Never? You are terribly evil mou hitori no boku." Yuugi added, slowly regaining his composition as his other followed in suit.

"No... not evil aibou just..." A grin appeared on the other's lips.  Slowly he walked over to Yuugi. He reached over... and slowly... tendering... reach for his other's hands.

Lightly, he brushed them over Yuugi's pale skin.  The bouquet of flowers slipped out of Yuugi's grasp. The petals shattered.  The 'ugly' flowers' petal fell off as they hit the floor, yet neither boy cared.

Yuugi gasped.  A little startled.  A little excited as his other ran his strong, smooth tanned hand over his skin, over his cheeks, leaving not one inch of skin bare.

Neither knew how it happened, or for how long, but as they finally pulled apart from their long intense kiss.  They were no longer in Yuugi's room.  

Long had they been transported into the dark realm.

For Yuugi, it was ecstasy, complete bewildering ecstasy.

His other's lips tasted like a wild, exotic blend of spices... spices from Egypt.

For mou hitori no boku, it was everything he had ever dreamed of and more. His aibou was delicious; his lips were those of a sweet strawberry blend, a refreshing splash of fruit.

Yuugi looked like he had melted in his other's arms.  

Slowly, breaking the silence, mou hitori no boku muttered, "aishiteru Aibou, aishiteru."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow as this long! O.o I never expected this chapter to be so freaking long! O.o Yeah... a quarter of it... wasn't even in the original plans... but blah... whatever. At least I'm still on track. That's the important part.
> 
> Those who like Anzu… I'm so sorry I turned her into a… a … you-know-what. Yeah… I wasn't even going to have her fall in love with Kaiba to begin with. Not really… I don't know. It just kind of happened, and she was the best character to use for it. I thought it would help push along Yuugi's feelings for Anzu, discover it's not really love, and finally realize his love for mou hitori no boku. And, get mou hitori no boku to finally admit to Yuugi that he loves him. Jealousy is a such a grand weakness that plays with the human's mind. Plus… it helped Jounouchi and Seto out too.
> 
> I know Seto doesn't actually call Jounouchi 'inu' ever. It just kind of happened. I thought inu which means dog was much cuter than mediocre fool. Then again it might just be me. :shrug:
> 
> Also… I did make Seto act like a complete 'jackass'. Excuse my language… but that's what he turned into. And no… I do not hate Seto, and I know he's not really like that either. He had ulterior motives usually involving Mokuba. Besides he hadn't been 'mind crashed' yet either. I actually love the Japanese version of Seto, so that definitely shows I did not do it to flame him. Definitely not!
> 
> Oh yeah... when Yuugi and mou hitori no boku 'talk' to each other, Yuugi doesn't actually speak. Blah... not good... shouldn't have wrote that. Okay... before I give anything away... nobody can actually hear their conversation between each other. Yeah... that's all I'm going to say.


	6. Yume

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter spans over many months in length.

"Aishiteru, Aibou, aishiteru," Mou hitori no boku mumbled.

Yuugi whimpered. His face radiated.  His amethyst eyes sparkled. He felt his breath hitch leaving him breathless once more as they dipped into another intense kiss. The shadows cradled them, surrounding the two young lovers' bodies as one, spooning them together, marking the two as their own. Yuugi's moans intensified, breathless and erratic.

Mou hitori no boku too felt his mind dissolve, bending, molding into Yuugi's.

Time and essence was no more; Mou hitori no boku hungrily spooned his other into his arms, touching and kissing each and every inch of his body. The other groaned, basting in his lover's essence. His memories began to wane as his bliss intensified. 

No longer was Yuugi pure and innocent, finally the darkness had marked its light.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

BEEP! BEEP!

A young boy moaned.  Tricolor hair slowly appeared beneath its covers. He blinked as the sunlight blinded him.  Groaning, he reached over to turn off his alarm.

Only then did he realize he was not wearing any clothes, or the fact that he wasn't alone. The shallow breathing of another pricked the hairs upon his neck.  A pair of strong arms was clasped around his waist, not letting go.

Yuugi's cheeks immediately flushed a thousand shade of red, slowly last night events came back to him.  His proclamations of love to his other.

Yuugi sighed, breathing in the scent of the spices that his other gave off. He looked so beautiful and sexy asleep: calm, peaceful, and relaxed. His features were refined when he slept. Yuugi felt his breath hitch as he stared at his other.  It was so tempting to touch his other's face, wondering if it felt soft. The other slept on unaware of his light gazing lovingly at him. His beautiful pale lips slowly opened and closed upon command.

Yuugi fidgeted.  Slowly he leaned over, his amethyst eyes closed.

A chuckle escaped from the other's lips. Yuugi's eyes immediately snapped open.  His cheeks fumed a thousand shades of red.

The other grinned, absolutely amused by his young love's antics. "Tsk… tsk Aibou. I didn't know you were so demanding."

Yuugi pursed his lips, half embarrassed, half sore. "You're evil mou hitori no boku! Simply evil."

The other once again chuckled before a light yawn escaped his lips. He lightly stretched, shaking out his sore and twisted muscles. It was after all many many years since he had slept in a bed much less have someone else to share it with. "So Aibou what do you want to do today?"

Yuugi's eyes widened. His mouth formed a small 'o' before letting out a cry of alarm.

The other looked over at his light, half confused and worried.

"School… and…" Yuugi gulped.  The moment slipped away as reality sunk in. Everything from the night before came crashing down. In the corner of his eyes, he caught the glimpse of a bouquet of flowers, laying on the floor.  Its petals wilted and broken on the floor. His wrist band glimmered in the sunlight. "Anzu." Yuugi whispered.

For once, he realized just what he had done, and the repercussion that he would have to face. He had committed a untimely taboo. He had fallen for a member of his same gender and denounced another.

"Aibou," Mou hitori no boku muttered. His cockiness left him, for he too understood Yuugi's feelings, and he blamed himself severely. After all it was his doing. He was the one who had pushed his aibou to ask Anzu out and than for him to break his promise when Yuugi finally did. "Aibou," the other stated once more. watching his love in remorse.

He understood.  He knew that Anzu had meant a lot to Yuugi when he was little. She was his dream. She was the object of his affection.  The one he wanted to be with. Now, now his whole world had been horribly and forever turned upside down and inside out. He had just broken each and every one of his principles and goals, and Mou hitori no boku knew.  He knew how Yuugi felt, and he was determined for his other to not fall into that untimely trap. "Aibou, don't go to school today. Let's go out. One day won't matter too much."

Yuugi agreed almost too quickly, and should his other, his protector have been more concerned when twenty minutes later Yuugi locked up his grandfather's shop?

"Let's go…"

"Somewhere different." The other suggested, stopping his aibou from going down his usual path. Today would be different, a start of a new journey, one that would hopefully end with them as one.

"Hmm, I know. Let's go to Yokohama."

"Yokohama?"

"Yep, it's right next to the ocean and Mt. Fuji. We could spend the night at a hotel or something."

The other nod, immediately agreeing. Yes, a night away from Domino.  A night away from all of Yuugi's troubles and realities of life so when Monday came, he would have that strength to confront Anzu.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The rhythmic lure of the moving train immediately put Yuugi to sleep. Mou hitori no boku watched as his aibou slept.  His blond bangs fluttered in his face, covering his amethyst eyes. His arms were clutched tightly around his backpack. After deciding to go to Yokohama, Yuugi had hurriedly returned to his room and threw a bunch of items into a bag.

Mou hitori no boku's heart went out to his other. His aibou was different, so different from everyone in the whole world. There was something special about the young boy.  The fact that he had accepted him so easily even though he had tore the souls of so many people out of their bodies.  The fact that he had… nothing. The younger had accepted who he was and given him refuge in his own body.

The other watched on.  Gently, he re-positioned his other, so that Yuugi's head was upon his body. Absently he stoked his love. A tender smile glazed his lips.  His thoughts far away. Though he knew that Yuugi would probably never ask him.  About where he came from.  Mou hitori no boku could not help but wonder.

Who was he? Where did he come from? Was he… even real?  

And most of all would he and his aibou be able to stay together forever?

That question lagged at the bottom of his heart since the day his aibou arrived in his 'world'.

How long could he stay? What was he? A lingering soul without a body?  If so, wouldn't that mean Yuugi was showing affections for the dead?  An unhealthy obsession in this time, and if that was the case… should he… should he have never proclaimed to his other, his love? Should… should... dare he even think… let his aibou be with… Anzu?

"Mou hitori no boku."

Slowly the other closed his eyes, drifting back to that dark realm.  When he opened his crimson eyes, his dear aibou was standing before him.

"Mou hitori no boku." Yuugi muttered.  Tears stained his eyes as he ran to his other. "Please… please don't doubt our love. Aishiteru… aishiteru. I don't want Anzu! Please… please stay with me… forever. I… I'll give you all my memories!" The other continued.  Slowly, without meaning to dug his finger nails into his other's waist, yet Mou hitori no boku didn't care. As he watched his aibou sob his heart out in front of him, he felt his own heart tear.

"Aibou… aibou. Please don't cry. I promise… I promise we will be together forever."

"I… I'll give you all my memories. I… I'll give you all my blood… my body… my soul… everything, so you will never disappear. I… I'll give you everything I own," Yuugi continued to rant and rave, giving his body to his other, and all his other could do was attempt to hold back his tears as his aibou sobbed.

Finally, Mou hitori no boku understood as he drew his aibou into his arms, pulling him down on a step in his unsolvable maze.

He gently, lovingly cradled his aibou, covering him with tender kisses. Like a little child, Yuugi's tears began to wane.  Soon only a couple of light hiccups left his lips. Still, he continued to bury his head into his other's chest. Soon… only a light… calm breaths left Yuugi's lips, signaling that he had finally fallen into a deep sleep. As Mou hitori no boku glazed down at his other's body.  He knew, that he and his aibou together, they would never part from one another.  Even the angriest god and the mightiest would never tear them apart. There were and always would be one.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Ahh…" Yuugi sighed, popping himself down upon the bed. A glass of cream tea was clasped in his hands, dangling absently before him. He let out another sigh… overly content with his living adjustments. His other had position himself in a couch within the room.  He seemed deep in thought. His other hadn't spoken much since their train ride. Once Yuugi had awoken from his slumber, he found his other deep in thought, miles away from reality.

"Mou hitori no boku," Yuugi asked, ruffling his bangs before sitting his glass on the night stand. "You okay? You seem overly quiet."

"Hmm… oh…" The other looked up, dazed. He squinted his eyes before sitting his chin back down on his hand. "Nothing, Aibou."

"You shouldn't squint Mou hitori no boku. It's bad for your eyes." Yuugi reprimanded before pulling on his covers. "Come to bed Mou hitori no boku. It's our vacation. Don't think so much."

"Aibou?" The other questioned, looking up.

"Hai." Yuugi responded, lightly turning his head to face his other.

Mou hitori no boku's heart melted.  A smile replaced his stern expression. "Nothing Aibou. Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi mou hitori no boku." Yuugi grinned, reaching over to turn off the lights. As the lights dimmed, he watched his other slowly disappear to that dark realm, and Yuugi knew that as his body rest, his soul would be transported to his lover's realm. It was a deep price to pay, and Yuugi understood it. It was like a deep, dreamless sleep. If he were being analyzed during his slumber, there would be no doubt he would be diagnosed as being dead. His body basically shut down, for without a soul the body is dead.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Mou hitori no boku! You're evil!" Yuugi whined. He squinted his eyes and covered his face as his other attempted to throw sand upon him.

"I love it when you whine, Aibou," the other whispered. Lightly he kisses his lover's neck, showering him with affection, causing Yuugi to burst into random fits of laughter.

"Mou hitori no boku, stop it! Stop it!" Yuugi cried.

"Say mercy Aibou."

"Must I?" Yuugi pouted, only to earn himself another kiss upon the lips.

"I really hate your puppy eyes." Yuugi grinned finally throwing his other off his body only to be pulled into a tight embrace.

"I love you so much, Aibou."

"And I you, Mou hitori no boku." Yuugi let out a light sigh before rubbing off some of the sand on his cheeks. "I don't want to go back home tomorrow. I want to stay here, and never return to reality."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Yuugi rubbed his hands together . Half-halfheartedly, he walked into his classroom. He felt his other's comforting arms wrap around his waist.

Yuugi sighed, sitting his backpack on the ground before him before sitting down in his seat. The classroom was almost empty. Only another being was present, hidden in the blackness of the corner. Yuugi brushed back his bangs and lightly pulled his love from him. A smile covered his face he walked over to the other human. He seemed deep in sleep.  A light, shallow breathing escaped his lips. Yuugi grinned sitting himself down beside the other. He wrapped his arms around his legs and cast a quick glance at his love.

The other simply shrugged.  His form slowly disappearing with the light breeze that escaped through the half opened classroom window.

Yuugi nodded, understanding as he continued to sit before this other, watching him sleep. It wasn't till much later when the Domino town clock chimed seven times that the other awoke, startled and a little embarrassed to find himself being watched

"Hi, Bakura-kun." Yuugi said sheepishly.  A little groggy for he too had started to fall asleep.

"Oh, Yuugi-kun. I didn't see you there. You been here… err… long?"

"No. Just a while, you seem tired."

"Yeah." Bakura chuckled, rubbing his fingers.

Yuugi's brow deepened noticing a strange array of scars covered the boy's hands. He wondered how he never noticed them before. They seemed old and deep and painful.

Noticing the other was staring at him, Bakura immediately drew his hands into his pocket. "I… I didn't get much sleep last night. Had to work a late shift."

"You work? Wow!"

Bakura nodded, a little hesitant. "Yeah. I usually work after school, but they really needed me last night."

Yuugi nodded.

He noticed Bakura's uneasiness. He seemed really uncomfortable which really troubled Yuugi. He really wanted to make friends with Bakura, for the young albino seemed so nice, yet sad. Like his love once mentioned, Bakura really was a lot like Yuugi when he was younger, small, frail, and uneasy around people.

Deciding to stay away from Bakura's social life, Yuugi smiled, letting out a begrudging sigh. "Man. I hope the teachers don't give us a lot of homework. I'm so sick of it.  You know?"

"Yeah. I know, but just think, only a year and a half left." Bakura smiled sheepishly causing Yuugi to grin.

"You know Bakura-kun. You should smile more often."

"Yuugi!" Yuugi groaned.  He immediately recognized that voice to belong to his best friend Jounouchi. The blond seemed to have just arrived.  Seeing Yuugi in the corner, he bounded up to the boy and attempted to headlock him, immediately succeeding.

"Jounouchi-kun… get off." He muttered.  A little annoyed as the blond took him back to his seat. Within Jounouchi's arms, Yuugi managed to give Bakura a "gomen" look. The other made no acknowledgement and when Yuugi managed to slip a glaze away from his friends: Jounouchi, Honda, and Kaiba, Bakura had already disappeared.

"Man Yuugi. I can't believe you actually asked Anzu out and didn't show up."

"You… how you?"

"Ohayo Jounouchi, Honda…" Yuugi gulped.  Appearing from behind Jounouchi, the young brunette's smile slowly faded as she saw Yuugi. Both gulped and stared into the other's eyes.

Anzu was the first to break away.  Her eyes misted over as she ran out the room. Without needing to be told, Yuugi quickly followed and caught up with the girl who he once, would have loved to spend the rest of his life with.

"Anzu, matte!" Yuugi shouted.  Out of breath, he finally caught up with the brunette. He lightly pulled on her hand, and the girl stopped running. Tears now flowed freely from her eyes, yet her pride kept her from looking at her friend. Instead she looked outside, and slowly tried profusely to wipe away the tears.

"Anzu, I… gomen ne." The boy mumbled.  He looked down and began playing with his fingers.

"Iie… iie… onegai, onegai. Don't… I… I've heard apologies all my life. My parents always apologize to me, everyday. When they broke a promise, they said 'I'm sorry, I can't control the telephone.  You understand right?', and I always… always I painfully had to nod and smile. I had to say… 'yes', or 'of course, maybe next time'. And Otousan and Okaasan would smile and sometimes if I'm lucky would pat my head. I remember when you called me that night. You said 'you wanted to go out for coffee'. That Friday, I spent two hours getting dressed. I picked my best skirt.  It was pink with a flower on the side. And a blouse… yellow. Okaasan always said it made my eyes stand out. I went to the coffee shop, and I picked a table by the window. It was a small table, and there a vase of daisies in the middle.  I love daisies. I ordered a cup of coffee, and I waited… and waited. It started to rain.  The pit pat of droplets cascading down the window pane. I thought it was rain that had detained you…"

"Anzu… I…"

"Please Yuugi. Please don't speak."

The boy nodded, but he knew Anzu wouldn't notice, for she was too far gone now.

"I… I waited in the coffee shop… drinking that cup of coffee. And finally… the owner said it was closing time. I couldn't believe it.  I didn't want to believe it. You… you… Mutou Yuugi… you were the one person who isn't supposed to break your promises. You're the one person I'm supposed to be able to count on… the person…" Anzu giggled.  It was an insane giggle but never the less a giggle. "I remember when we were younger. I remember that day, so long ago when I first kissed you on the lips then I refused to talk to you for the longest time. I remember chasing men after men… men beyond my reach. I knew… I knew since I was younger.  Every boy loved me. I was Anzu… Masaki Anzu… the one in fairy tales that everyone loved. But I only wanted one boy.  A strange boy who I could only identify from his voice.  A deep regal voice… my 'phantom'. But without knowing it… or maybe I did, maybe that's why I knew I could chase after boys who I really didn't love because… because I knew… when I looked back.  You… you would always be there. I've always known you loved me, and I guessed that I took that for granted… that you would always be there…waiting for me to grow up."

"But I… I guess I was foolish.  I didn't realize that I had kept you waiting for too long… and someday… someday you would fall in love with someone else. And I knew when you didn't show up that night at the coffee shop.  I… I had lost my chance.  I didn't grow up in time." A small bitter smile transgressed Anzu's lips. "We could have been something… huh Yuugi?"

"Yeah." The boy nodded… bewildered that Anzu had known… all this time.

"Yuugi."

"Hmm."

"Can you grant me one wish before we put it all behind us? Be… before we go back to just… being … friends?"

Yuugi nodded, and as he looked up he saw his lover's smile, and mou hitori no boku looked down and simply nodded. For he too knew that he would always have Yuugi… and this… this one request would finally bring a foreclosure for Yuugi.

"Kiss me… please… just once."

Clumsily, and banging noses, Anzu bent down, and the two… two people who could have… maybe had fate played a different note someday been married and grown old together… kissed… once and only once. And as they pulled away, Anzu smiled. "Arigotou Yuugi." The boy nodded, pulling away and slowly he felt the warm embrace of his intended. He watched as Anzu walked back into their classroom.  Her head held up high.

"May you find the love of your life, Anzu."

"They say there is a day when a young girl's heart will awaken, and she will become a woman. I say… today is Anzu's day."

"Hai, Mou hitori no boku."

Never again did any of them talk about Yuugi and Anzu's 'date' that Friday night though it was evident that a small strain had indeed developed between the two. Subtle changes could be seen between Yuugi and Anzu. No longer did Anzu walk by his side.  Instead she left a wide gap between them. No longer did Anzu speak to Yuugi eye to eye instead she always looked past him, and Yuugi understood for he did the same. It was a mutual understanding that both cared for the other deeply, but it could never be. Though they felt intoxicated by the other, their love could never last.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

And slowly summer died and autumn came around. The fall festival at Domino High was on everyone's minds. It was the one time of the year when everyone in the school had to work together to put together a grand festival. For Yuugi's class, they were in charge of the gaming booth. They had to plan and create a wide assortment of popular old games originating from all over the globe.

Normally Yuugi would have been excited about the news, but today worry had clouded his excitement. Jounouchi hadn't been at school for over a week now. According to the teacher, Jounouchi had came down with a virus in his stomach. But nobody believed it, Jounouchi and stomach viruses just seemed so funny together. It was clearly evident that Yuugi wasn't the only one worried. The normally talkative Seto seemed to be on edge. It was quite clear that he too was worried about his boyfriend.

A small chuckled vibrated through Yuugi's ear drums. "Man Aibou. I don't know whether you or Kaiba seem more fidgety. You got to give Jounouchi some credit. He'll be fine. You worry too much."

"And you don't Mou hitori no boku?" Yuugi hissed causing the other to chuckle a little. Defensively he held up his hands in mock defeat.

"Let's just go over to his house today and see him. What you think about that Aibou? Maybe it'll quell you and antsy pants Kaiba over there of your anxieties."

"You're brilliant!" Yuugi grinned.

"Of course I am, silly."

Once the final bell rang, and the doors of Domino High burst open. Immediately Yuugi told Honda, Anzu and Seto about his other's idea of seeing Jounouchi. They all agreed, yet it wasn't till Anzu made the comment that none knew where Jounouchi lived that Yuugi paled. How could they have been so silly? Never once had Jounouchi told them where he lived. Only that he had to work because his father was an alcoholic.

"Well," Honda spoke shifting his weight nervously. "When I was little, I tried following Jounouchi home once. I kind of have an idea where it is. We could always go there… and ask around."

"Fair enough," Seto stated. He grunted.

Yuugi couldn't help but hear the small chuckle leaving his other's lips as it infiltrated his heart.

"Do I sense jealousy in Kaiba's voice?" The other muttered as he manifested beside his love. He encircled his arms around Yuugi's waist, breathing in his love's delightful strawberry scentt,

"You're so evil, Mou hitori no boku." Yuugi hissed.

"Now, how am I evil?"

"You really don't like Kaiba-kun, ne?"

"Surely you know the answer by now, Aibou."

Yuugi lightly shook his head. He gave his love a death glare before running to catch up with his friends. He gave them a soft "gomen" as they boarded a bus to take them hopefully to Jounouchi's house.

One hour later and five buses, the small band of friends entered the poverty stricken district of Domino. Yuugi could easily see there was a deep discomfort in Kaiba. He seemed to be trying to hold his breath to not breathe in the stench of the streets while attempting to breathe as normally as possible. It didn't help that his other was chuckling uncontrollably in his ear.

"Eew!" Anzu screamed., backing into Yuugi. The boy too caught up in his love's chuckling to notice the added on weight, collapsed into Kaiba, knocking the young CEO onto the ground.

Kaiba, at first disoriented, took five seconds to realize that he was not only sitting on the cement ground uncomfortably, but his trench coat was covered in something foul. "Watch it!" Kaiba growled knocking Yuugi and Anzu off his stomach. That didn't go well with Mou hitori no boku, and it was only due to Yuugi's pleading that Kaiba wasn't 'mind crushed'.

"There… there was a rat!" Anzu gasped.

"Yeah, well there's a lot of other worse… things here than rats Anzu. We better hurry," Honda motioned. He seemed deeply disturbed for reasons unknown as he led them around another corner. "I swear.  Jounouchi's house is around…"

"WHERE IS THE MONEY!  YOU GOT FIRED AGAIN! DAMN BOY!" A beefy, very drunk man's voice filtered from an apartment high above them.

Soon the sound of a voice, quite familiar to them, followed. "I'm sorry Otousan. It wasn't my fault."

"Inu."

"Jounouchi-kun."

Hearing their friend's voice both Kaiba and Yuugi immediately took to the flight of stairs cloesst them.  Anzu was quick to follow. Only Honda hesitated for a moment.  It was as if… he knew something. And suddenly he didn't feel all that glad that he had brought his friends here.

"Aibou." The other asked his love as they had climbed the five flights of stairs.

"Ne, mou hitori no boku."

"Does Honda look off to you?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"He… seems… disturbed."

"I think we all are Mou hitori no boku."

"Inu!"

"S… Seto…" A frenzied Jounouchi appeared. In his hands was a large garbage bag… filed with beer bottles. "Yuugi… Honda… Anzu. What you guys doing here?"

Seto gave no reply as he submerged his love in a huge hug. Immediately Anzu looked away.  A little disturbed although she had long gotten used to the fact that Jounouchi was gay and going out with Kaiba.

After letting his boyfriend go, Honda gave him a faint punch. "We were worried about you. That's what... the teacher said you had a stomach virus. Damn! Jounouchi… and stomach viruses don't mix. I've known you long enough to know that much."

"Yeah…" Jounouchi muttered sheepishly, rubbing his nose. "Yeah, it's true. So… erm… wha…" Unexpectedly the young blond collapsed.  Luckily Kaiba was quick and caught his young lover easily. It wasn't till after Kaiba re-positioned Jounouchi in his arms comfortably that he noticed a wet mass on the boy's side.  Something he hadn't noticed earlier.

"Waa!" Yuugi gasped, bending down. He too noticed the red liquid as it slowly stained Jounouchi's shirt. "What…"

Kaiba's eyes hardened as he balanced Jounouchi on his hip, letting the boy lean on his side. He pouched the door open, not caring what harm he might impose on the door. "Back already brat!" The same drunk voice sounded in the room. Yuugi immediately deduced it was Jounouchi's father. Of course, who else could it be? So this was the infamous father of Jounouchi.  The drunk, the one that broke Jounouchi's family in two.  The lazy bum who made his son work. Yuugi's eyes too hardened, just like Kaiba, he was angry.

"You want me to mind crush him, Aibou?"

"Iie. That… that would be too soft for him. I don't think losing his mind would be enough of a punishment for all the wrong deeds he has done. No, not enough. After all… when he denounced his son, he had already lost his mind."

"Good point, Aibou."

"How dare you!" Kaiba bellowed.  Only then did a massive man appear from behind a beaten down couch. "How dare you treat your son like this!"

Yuugi immediately noticed the identical features between Jounouchi and the other man. As much as he hated to admit it, they were so similar. The same rough body structure, the same freely moving blond bangs.  Only Jounouchi's was much more tame.  The same honey brown eyes.  Hell even the same grin, that same grin that Jounouchi used to give him before they became friends. Yes, they were definitely father and son. The genetics were all there. Obviously the sight of the older man had given Kaiba a heart attack too… for… it took moments for Kaiba to regain himself to approach the man.

"You should be ashamed of yourself."

"And… who might you be… sonny boy?"

"Someone who loves your son."

"Haha! I knew that damn bastard of a son of mine was queer. Now, this proves it."

Kaiba's blue eyes, normally calm and collected even after Yuugi had beaten him, was no longer normal. Instead, a deep burning flame was evident in Kaiba's eyes. With one arm still supporting Jounouchi's frail body, with the other he smack the elder man. With a loud thud the man collapsed into a heap, shattering the couch into a thousand pieces.

The room was silent then after. Only a small sob from Anzu broke the silence. Only then did Kaiba reach for his phone to dial the nearby hospital and police station. When it was all done, Kaiba sat down in the broken and dusty apartment room and lightly stoked Jounouchi's face. "For once I'm thankful for the martial arts lessons you gave me."

"Hmph." Mou hitori no boku muttered.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, just Kaiba."

"You feel a new respect for him maybe?" Yuugi asked timidly. Though his love didn't answer, Yuugi couldn't help but smile. _Yes, Mou hitori no boku, he was finally beginning to forgive Kaiba.  Maybe, even start to respect the young CEO?_

 

_XXXXXXXXXXX_

 

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Emmm."

"Jounouchi-kun!" Yuugi cried, startled as he awoke from his long slumber. The boy had unexpectedly dozed off in his seat, but upon hearing his friend's grunt awoke with a start.

"Y… Yuugi. What… what… where am I?" The blond asked. "Man do I feel like crap."

"The hospital," Yuugi explained sheepishly, for he knew Jounouchi hated the antiseptic smell almost as much as he did.

"Hospital?"

"Yeah, you fainted. And… and we were bleeding," the boy added.

"Oh… crap…" Jounouchi muttered. He looked away embarrassed. Knowing that his friend was a proud man, Yuugi immediately tried changing the subject.

"I… I'll call Kaiba-kun. He…he told me to call the moment …"

"Yuugi, don't."

"Huh?" The boy looked up confused.

"Don't call Seto, yeah don't. I… I don't think he ever wants anything to do with me."

"Why's that?"

Jounouchi couldn't help be chuckle. "Y… you have such a naive idea of this world, Yuugi. Everything's so black and white for you. There's no grey. You think of the simple things. Believe this world is perfect. That's what attracted me to you. But… but… you saw the condition I was living in. You… you saw my … home, my drunk father." Jounouchi sighed as he began playing with his fingers. "Seto's real proud, and he probably doesn't want anything to do with me. He… he's the CEO of Kaiba Corp. He could have any girl or guy in the world…"

"Yet, he chose you Jounouchi-kun. He chose you. You should have seen him with your father Jounouchi-kun. He… he punched your otou-san in the face. He stood up for you. He really loves you Jounouchi-kun. Don't be proud. Don't be proud and give it up."

"Yuugi…"

"Aibou…"

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Well, Jounouchi. I have to say. I've never seen a patient recover so fast before." One of Domino's most senior doctors commented. He flipped through Jounouchi's papers one last time to check the numbers.

"Haha! Yeah that sure does sound like Jounouchi," Honda chuckled nudging Jounouchi's side.

"Though, I have to wonder Jounouchi. Where are you going to stay at? Social services doesn't want you back with your father anytime soon." The doctor continued. He could clearly remember the conversation he had with them two days earlier. It was due to them that he couldn't release the young blond till now. Unknown to the doctor, the subject was a touchy one among the group. Kaiba hadn't said anything even when most his friends believed that he would sooner or later ask his boyfriend to live with him. Thus neither Yuugi nor Honda had volunteered, fearing it would violate Kaiba's rights as Jounouchi's boyfriend.

Yet even now, Kaiba said nothing. His arms were crossed, and his lips were pursed. Honda sighed giving Kaiba a death glare. "Yeah, he's staying with me, Sensei. My parents are happy to take him. They see him as a second son and all. Come on 'niisan'." Chuckles filtered the room, though only Kaiba and Mou hitori no boku said nothing. He had materialized beside Yuugi and had been eyeing Kaiba strangely since.

When the friends had left the room, only Kaiba stayed behind, Yuugi's other stopped him. "Matte Aibou."

"Ne Mou hitori no boku."

"Would you mind if I took over for a moment? I… I want to talk to Kaiba."

Yuugi bit his lips. He looked at his love and seeing there was no hatred in them, nodded. "Hai Mou hitori no boku." Slowly, Yuugi felt himself leave his body.  His soul falling deeper as he felt his love's soul fill the vacancy he had left behind. It had been a long time since the two traded places.  They hadn't since the day they proclaimed their love.

"Kaiba, wait."

"What is it… Yuugi?" The CEO snapped. He was obviously a little grumpy and not fully functioning. Something was deeply bothering him.

"We got to talk. No… better yet… let's play a game."

"A game?" Kaiba asked.

"Yeah a game. It's been a while since you challenged 'me'. I want to see if you've improved."

"Fine." Kaiba nodded. He never turned down a game.

"But, let's make this a little, how should I put it... interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Yes, interesting. A stake.  We'll play duel monsters, but each time one of us loses a monster. We must reveal something about ourselves. Anything you want to know, and we must tell the truth."

"The truth huh? And how do you know I want to know anything about you?"

"Because I know," the other muttered. "Take my challenge Kaiba Seto?"

"Yeah, 'Yuugi' I do."

The two boys smirked as they each drew out their dueling deck. A small purple fog encircled the two boys, yet Kaiba didn't notice.

And slowly, both boys' points dropped, slowly. And as each person's points dropped they asked more questions learning about the other. They were simple questions, silly, pointless questions. And Yuugi, as he watched in that 'land' that he had first met his love, watched in fascination. His heart beating faster and faster, for as the game progressed. Yuugi knew.  He knew the true purpose in his lover's motivates. He knew, though he couldn't stop it.  If Kaiba lost. His love would 'mind crush' the boy, but not in the dangerous sense. No, his love would crush Kaiba's heart to make a better man out of Kaiba. And when Kaiba slowly pieced his heart back together, he… he would become a man he could finally be proud of.

"Black Magician Girl's gone, 'Yuugi'. It's my turn. Hmm, my question to you." Kaiba looked around, eyeing his opponent. "You aren't Yuugi are you? You… you're someone else. That… that person who beat me at that duel monsters game.  Beat my brother at capsule monsters chess.  You are the true game king.  Aren't you?"

The other Yuugi licked his lips. He closed his eyes. "Should I tell him Aibou?"

"Don't you have to?"

Mou hitori no boku chuckled. "I guess you are right. I must.  Mustn't I?"

"Yeah, just… just go easy on him, 'k."

The other nodded. Slowly he opened his eyes and nodded. A smirk appeared on his lips. "Perspective aren't you Kaiba. How ever did you figure it out?"

"I'll answer, even though you didn't destroy my monster. It's because," Kaiba smirked. "Yuugi never calls me simply Kaiba, and you… you have a different vibe to you. Almost… sinister like."

"I guess you're right Kaiba. Yes, no wonder you are a CEO. Fine, I will answer. No, I'm not 'Yuugi', the Yuugi you know anyways. I… I'm," he chuckled smiling. "I… I'm someone very precious to him, and he's the most precious person in the world, in my life."

"Figures," Kaiba smirked. "No wonder he and Anzu are off now. So… you are the reason… Mou hitori no Yuugi."

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am. And you are wrong Kaiba. Aibou is the true game king. He might not seem like it, but… but I know someday. He will surpass me.  And when that day comes," the other muttered. _The world will crack, and the skies and the Gods will bow down to their new king._

 

_XXXXXXXXXXX_

 

"I win, Kaiba." 'Yuugi' smirked.

"Like always. I guess now I will know the purpose of your game."

"You are smart. Yes, you will. Why didn't you offer Jounouchi a home in your house, for I know you live in a mansion… big enough for him."

Kaiba stopped, drawing back his hand, for he had already proceeded to pick up his deck. "Waa…"

"Iie wait. Never mind. I don't need to know that answer. It… it's something between you and him. Think about it Kaiba…"

Within the dark realm, Yuugi closed his eyes. He felt tears threaten to escape from his eyes, but he knew his love was right. In the end, it would be for the better. Though, he still couldn't bear to watch thus Yuugi closed his eyes and looked away. What seemed like another dimension… another time… he heard his love cry out… "mind crush." And a loud thud hit the hospital floor and when Yuugi came through moments later, an unconscious Kaiba was sprawled before him… and a pile of cards.

Soon his friends returned.  He remembered hearing Anzu's screams.  The doctors gasped as he too blacked out.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Weeks later, one day after school when the leaves already beginning to change colors. Fall was coming. Summer was already in the backs of everyone's mind. School had started up again after a short four week vacation.

"Jounouchi-kun!" Yuugi called, attempting to catch up with his friend.

Hearing Yuugi's calls, the boy turned around. "Yuugi! What's up?"

"Oh just wondering if you wanted to spend the night over at my house."

"I don't know if I can. Seto's been a … little needy lately."

"Oo." Yuugi immediately blushed causing a faint chuckle from Mou hitori no boku. "Man I can't believe you and Kaiba-kun finally moved in together."

"Yeah, me too. I was soo surprised when he asked me after summer ended. He was soo… suave about it too. 'Inu… pack your bags. I'm picking you up at nine'," Jounouchi stated, mimicking his boyfriend perfectly.

Yuugi couldn't help but giggle.

"But still, it wasn't till later I figured out why Seto hadn't asked me in the first place." Jounouchi sighed. Hearing the remorse tone from his usually cheerful friend, Yuugi immediately stopped laughing.

"It took another week for the truth to come out…

" _Seto, we don't have to eat out you know. I'm perfectly happy about eating here."_

_A gruff Seto stepped out of Jounouchi's closest. He had a tie in hand and jacket over his arm. "I know that. But I want to treat you to the best."_

" _You already have, Seto."_

" _Niisama! Niisama!" A high, frantic voice sounded in the hallway._

" _In here Mokuba," Seto called. Moments later a little boy, no taller than Kaiba's hip appeared in the bedroom. He had a mass of black bangs that hung freely. He looked remarkably like Seto, only with more baby fat. "What's wrong?"_

" _It's 'Auntie'. She's here."_

_Seto's eyes widened. It took minutes for the young man to compose himself, telling Mokuba to tell their 'aunt' they'll be down in a bit._

" _Your auntie?"_

" _She's not my real aunt. She's my… Gozuburo's sister."_

" _Gozuburo?"_

" _My adopted father, the original owner of Kaiba Corp."_

" _You were adopted?"_

" _Yeah, Inu. Otousan died in a car crash. Okaasan died in childbirth." Kaiba sighed, tossing the tie to Jounouchi. "My 'aunt's' a little talkative. She might say… offensive things. Don't try to persuade her about anything. She's very… never mind." Kaiba tossed a piece of his bangs back. "Ready for dinner Inu?"_

_Jounouchi nodded. Now a little unsure, he wasn't sure about this aunt of Seto's, and the way Seto was talking. It sounded even less inviting. Upon making it downstairs, there at the main foyer currently cuddling Mokuba, was a little old lady. She was only about five feet, probably shorter cause the way she stood it was almost positive she was wearing heels. She had on an old western style dress with a small purse that just didn't match. A pair of specks was in her hands. She seemed to have an acute sense of hearing for the moment they made it down stairs she looked up. Jounouchi was almost horrified.  This lady was… incredibly ugly. There was this large wart on her left cheek.  Her eyes didn't match, and her nose looked broken. If it wasn't for Kaiba nudging his side, Jounouchi knew he would have burst out laughing._

" _Seto… Seto-kun!" The lady cried engulfing the boy into a large hug. "Why do not you not visit us anymore? Sakura's ever so lonely… and so am I."_

" _Err."_

" _Ah!" The little old woman stated, eyeing Jounouchi suspiciously. She scoffed, looking directly Jounouchi. "And you are?"_

" _I'…"_

" _He's a friend… Jounouchi Katsuya," Seto cut in immediately. "Come, let's dine. The food will be cold."_

_For the rest of the night, Jounouchi felt out of place. Something strange was going on between Seto's aunt and him. Like some crazy understanding that everyone in the mansion knew but him. Finally, around midnight, she left them, and Jounouchi couldn't feel happier. Immediately afterwards Mokuba gave him a pleading look as Seto dragged him away._

" _Seto! Spill it!"_

" _Patience Katsuya. I'll tell you in a few seconds." And Jounouchi knew not to beg anymore, for Kaiba never called him Katsuya anymore. He was called him 'inu' unless he was being serious. Minutes later they entered into a large drawing room in the west wing. It was one of those forbidden rooms that Kaiba had insisted he never enter._

_The room looked old. It looked as if it hadn't been in use for years. A lone desk was located under a huge window… a lake view. Two bookshelves that spanned the length of the window covered the walls, and finally above the door they were standing under.  There was a huge picture of a young girl, blonde bangs, in a morning dress.  Jounouchi couldn't help but take in a deep breathe. Whoever the girl was, she was beautiful._

" _You must wonder.  What happened tonight huh?"_

" _Yeah."_

" _I guess I should explain. Explain everything.  Why I wasn't willing to take you in the day you were released from the hospital." Kaiba sighed. "Haha. 'Yuugi', you should talk to him more often by the way.  He told me to look into my heart, and tell you the truth. Now I think I'm ready. And when I'm done, and if you want to walk away from everything.  I won't blame you."_

_Jounouchi nodded. He took a seat on the desk as Seto followed in suit. "That lady you met today. She… she's the reason I'm what I am today. She… she was the reason Gozuburo adopted Mokuba and me. She was the reason he challenged me to that fateful chess match. She has a daughter, only one child, Sakura. Sakura was bred and groomed to be Noah's future bride, to be the mistress of Kaiba Corp. But Noah, Gozuburo's real son, died when he was six… in a car crash. She was devastated… thinking Sakura would lose her place in Kaiba Corp. She persuaded Gozuburo to adopt an heir…"_

" _Iie… iie," Jounouchi muttered._

" _Yes… I'm afraid so Katsuya. I'm afraid so. That's why I didn't want you here. I… I was afraid. Afraid she would find a way to succeed in her master plan.  Either strip me of Kaiba Corp. or destroy you. I… I couldn't let either happen. After all, she was the one who taught me everything I know. She taught me business. She taught me to be sly, to be hard, to be crooked and to get under Gozuburo's skin. She could have easily destroyed me. It wasn't until last week when the deal with Industrial Illusions went through. It was my deal. I had secured my holdings, my foundations. I had finally proven to her.  Kaiba Corp. is mine."_

" _Is she ugly?"_

" _Who?"_

" _Sakura?"_

" _Oh."_

" _Do you love her? Did you love her?"_

"He said no to all of it. He said… 'how could you think that? I love you Inu. That's why I'll give up everything for you'."

"Wow, Kaiba-kun's engaged to his cousin."

"Yeah."

"Has he broken the engagement yet?"

"Iie."

"Bastard."

"Mou hitori no boku," Yuugi hissed.

"It's the truth. He's hurting that girl."

"Why?"

"We agreed, that Seto wouldn't until he turned eighteen. When he's legally an adult, he would break the engagement. Until then, I will be Seto's 'friend'."

"Jounouchi-kun."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

And soon autumn turned to winter. The ever lingering finals were in everyone's minds. Come April they would enter their last year in high school. They would have to take those grueling week long college entrance exam to determine their futures. Yet, now… they could still be high school students without a care in the world.

"Yuugi."

"Ne, Jounouchi?" Yuugi looked back seeing his friend run up to him, a stack of papers in one hand that he was waving happily.

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"Seto got the lodge!"

"Lodge?"

"You remember the one in the mountains."

"Oh yeah." He remembered Kaiba coming to him a few weeks earlier asking his opinion on whether to get a lodge on the lee side of the mountain or the other.

"Well, it finally went through! We're going to mountains for winter break! You, me, Seto, Mokuba, Anzu, Honda, and Shizuka! I got to tell the others. Pack your bags.  Seto's private jet leaves tonight!" With that Jounouchi was gone leaving a stunned Yuugi with a stack of papers.

"That was strange Aibou."

"Yeah."

"I wonder how Jounouchi managed to coax Kaiba into letting us come."

Yuugi pouted. "You never change do you Mou hitori no boku? Kaiba's changed since you mind crushed him."

"You think? I still see him as the pompous idiot."

"I don't know, Mou hitori no boku. He reminds me a lot of you."

"Me?"

Yuugi giggled. His love's expression was just too much for him to bear. The indignation mixed with an attempt at keeping a straight face. It was all too priceless.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Waa! Niisan! It's beautiful."

Jounouchi beamed at his sister. He hadn't seen Shizuka for a long time. If it hadn't been for Honda, though he wasn't happy to admit it, she wouldn't be here right not. Maybe just maybe it paid off to have Honda be her boyfriend.

"I'm happy you like it Shizuka." Kaiba added gruffly. He hadn't exactly expected Jounouchi to bring 'their' friends with them. After all, he was hoping to spend some 'quality' time with his little puppy. Now, he was half glad that he hadn't taken the originally one bedroom lodge but gone with the three bedroom one though even now as he looked around at the group he wasn't exactly sure how they would split the rooms.

The only ones here single was Anzu, Mokuba… and… no… not Yuugi. Kaiba eyed the shorter youth nervously. He hadn't forgotten the words of the other Yuugi. 'He's the most precious person in the world, in my life.' And the way the others looked.  it was quite obvious only he and both Yuugi knew. Yuugi hadn't even told Jounouchi that he had a lover.

Though Kaiba wondered.   _How does such a romance work? If the two share a body…_ Though no matter how strange it was to Kaiba, Yuugi did seem happy and content. Though sometimes he did fall into a dark spell, would zone off. Now that Kaiba thought back on it.  It actually wasn't that uncommon. Yuugi would normally 'wonder' off quite a few times every day. The whites of his eyes seemed to disappear.  If it wasn't for the faint breathing, Kaiba wasn't all that sure Yuugi was alive.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"It was really nice of Kaiba-kun to treat us Mou hitori no boku." Yuugi sighed, brushing back a piece of his bangs. He hugged his left knee tightly as he dangled the other over the window sill.

"Hmph." The other snorted. He watched his love briefly as he stared into the night sky. The stars and the moon were long out already. It was getting close to the new moon. The holy glow of the moon seemed to heighten Yuugi's angelic features. It took his breath away watching his love.  He looked soo… godlike.

"Why don't you like Kaiba-kun?" Yuugi asked, looking at his love.

The other sighed, wrapping his arms around Yuugi. Lightly he ran his ghostly hands over Yuugi's chest. The youth sighed, content. He loved the feel of his love. "He's too arrogant for his own good. Besides, I feel like I've known him before."

"Ne?"

"Never mind Aibou." Yuugi pouted, a little disappointed. He was used to his love making such comments. He would periodically say there was something wrong with Bakura. Yuugi sighed thinking about the albino. He seemed so nice, but something seemed to always weigh down the boy as if he carried a deep burden.

"I wonder how long we can do this for."

"Ne?" Yuugi asked, looking up questionably at his lover.

"Never mind Aibou. I guess it's the foolish words of an old man."

Yuugi pouted, lightly he raised his hand and rubbed his love's cheeks.

"You aren't old."

"I feel old though. I feel as if I've lived a million years."

Yuugi nodded. He understood. "I… I… wish I could feel you." He muttered.

"Huh?"

"It's not fair. Why am I the only one who can't feel you? Yet I'm the only one that can see you… as you?" Yuugi bit his lips, and immediately the other sighed.  He ran his hands through Yuugi's face.

"Aibou, come.  Come with me to our realm. There… there you can feel me."

Yuugi nodded, tears still threatening to escape his amethyst eyes, but he compiled with his love. For he knew.  He knew that it was time. They both had been feeling it for months. He was ready, ready to give the last piece of himself to his love. His greatest gift the gods had given him.

And slowly, his eyes drooped, as he felt the slight tear of his soul as he left his body. As his immortal self left his mortal self, his physical being drooped, collapsing on the window sill.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Yuugi! Kami! Yuugi!" A frantic blond shouted, shaking his friend, yet Yuugi did not awake. His body was still soulless and cold.

"Jounouchi!"

"Niisan!"

"Inu! What the hell are you doing?"

Jounouchi looked up. His left hand still clasped on the cliff of Yuugi's nightgown. "There's something wrong with Yuugi! That's what Seto. I came in here to get something and found Yuugi… like this!"

The young CEO scoffed walking over to his puppy's best friend. A smirk formed on the boy's face before sitting his hand on Jounouchi's shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with him. In fact…" Kaiba smirked. "I say Yuugi's just fine."

"How can you say that? I know you're not fond of Yuugi and all, but can't you see he's dying."

"Yeah." Kaiba smirked. "Dying of pleasure maybe."

"Pleasure!" Jounouchi's honey brown eyes widened.

"Yeah pleasure inu."

"From what!" Anzu asked. She was a little shaken by Jounouchi's outburst, but not as much as Shizuka who the young brunette was attempting to console.

"Why don't you go wake Honda, and I'll explain." Kaiba sighed. _Damn this is going to be a long night._

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"You're telling us Yuugi's a schizo!"

Two hours and twenty cups of coffee later, that was the best Kaiba could get into Jounouchi. He didn't seem like accepting that Yuugi had an alternate ego, who according to Kaiba was seducing his friend.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"He's masturbating himself?"

One hour after the last remark.

_God is he… yet I still love him._

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

A soft moan escaped Yuugi's lips. He was curled up against his love's body. His face was damp. Both boys were covered in sweat.

"Aibou," the other spoke, his voice husky and deep.

"Ne, Mou hitori no boku," Yuugi asked shyly. His bangs covered his eyes. Slowly the other reached up and wiped them away.

The other chuckled again, nuzzling Yuugi's nose. "Maybe you should get back."

"Why?" Yuugi asked. He cocked his head a little confused, yet his love continued to chuckle.

"Because… I fear if you don't, Kaiba going to murder his puppy."

"Waa!"

"Yes, Aibou. You should hear their conversation it's quite amusing. It seems that Jounouchi found your 'unconscious' body, and Kaiba's trying to explain to your friends about me.

Yuugi eyes widened.

_Damn it Jounouchi-kun._

"Temper temper, Aibou. You know we can always continue," the other's voice lowered, "tomorrow." Yuugi's cheeks deepened into a lovely shade of red. He let out a small 'eep' as his other lightly kissed his cheeks.

"You want me to come too?"

Yuugi nodded. He slowly closed his eyes and felt that light tug on his chest. Moments later when he opened his eyes. the winter sun was blazing into his eyes.

"He has another being in his body!"

"Yes!"

The sound of Jounouchi's voice was quickly followed by Kaiba. "I see what you mean, Mou hitori no boku," Yuugi muttered looking to his side where his love sat patiently on the window sill. A smile played on his lips.

"I guess we should save Kaiba ne?" The other pouted causing Yuugi to smile.

"Afraid so. After all, he is the only method we have of getting off this mountain."

"Damn."

"Temper temper <ou hitori no boku."

The other pouted, and Yuugi couldn't help but giggle. His love smiled, all the more sexy when he attempted to copy his actions.

Yuugi hurriedly grabbed his jacket that had fallen on the floor and walked ever so calmly into the living room. "Ohayo," he chirped as if nothing was the matter. Though he knew before Jounouchi ran to him, Kaiba was giving his death stares.

"Yuugi, Yuugi!" Jounouchi shouted. "Seto said… that… you have another being in your body."

"Yeah, your point is. I'm starved. What's there to eat?" Yuugi asked calmly, yet deep down he was attempting to keep from bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Point is?"

"Maybe we could go to that restaurant on the edge of the mountain. Mmm… that was nice rest. I really needed it. How you sleep Jounouchi-kun? Kaiba-kun?" Yuugi grinned turning over to Kaiba, who still had a disturbed/annoyed look on his face.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

One hour later, in the small restaurant that Yuugi was so eager to go to, it seemed that everyone, but Jounouchi had taken Kaiba's explanation well.  Jounouchi was still giving his friend weird glances. _He seems the same… but… is this Yuugi or the other Yuugi?_

"Oh yeah, Jounouchi-kun. About Mou hitori no boku, you want to meet him?"

"Ne?"

"What Aibou?"

"Yeah Mou hitori no boku. Maybe it's time you met them, talk to them. I'll trade with you. Go easy on Jounouchi-kun 'k?" Yuugi grinned. He closed his eyes, and moments later when Yuugi's eyes opened they were no longer amethyst but crimson red.

"Aibou," the other grumbled.

"You're Mou hitori no Yuugi?" Jounouchi gasped, followed by that of his other friends. Only Kaiba didn't seem frenzied.  He had already experienced his first time meeting with this Yuugi.

"Hello." He said sheepishly.

He heard the small giggle from Yuugi in the back of his head. Moments later Yuugi appeared beside him in his ghostly projected form, and he knew. Just like when he retained that form, nobody could see his aibou.

"Yeah I'm. You're Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda, Shizuka, and …" The other's brow hardened momentarily on Mokuba before softening. "Mokuba…"

The young Kaiba left out a muffled sound, very similar to a mouse. He, like 'Yuugi', hadn't forgotten their Capsule Monster Match. Though Mokuba was already on good terms with Yuugi, this Yuugi was a completely different story. "Yeah we got off on bad terms hmm."

"Yeah."

Both nodded for a mutual respect had formed between the two gamers. Though the two may never become friends, they respected each other.

"So… you're Yuugi's lover." Jounouchi asked.

"I see somebody's not subtle." 'Yuugi' smirked. "Yeah. You can say that."

"So, why are you in Yuugi's body," Anzu asked. She hadn't spoken all morning, and they had nearly forgotten. No, they all wanted to forget.   Anzu was still in love with Yuugi that much was clear, and here in flesh and bones was the reason they weren't together.

"I really don't know. One day I opened my eyes and was protecting, Aibou. He promised me a place in his heart, and I've been able to use his body since."

"So, if you're in Yuugi's body. Where's Yuugi?"

"He's still here in a way. I guess you can say.  He's in reserve."

Jounouchi noticed the uncomfortable situation between Anzu and the other Yuugi, and he knew it would always be there. Anzu probably was never going to accept the other Yuugi, but as for Jounouchi, he liked this alter ego of his best friend. After all, anyone cool in Yuugi's book was cool with him. "It's glorious outside. How about we try out the ski slopes?"

"Yeah, Niisan!"

After Kaiba paid the bill, the group left the restaurant only Yuugi stopped at the door. "Iie Mou hitori no boku. You have fun. I'll let you be in control all day today."

"Aibou?"

"Get to know them. I see that Jounouchi-kun likes you. I'm sure Honda-kun, Mokuba-kun and Shizuka will too. As for Anzu…" Yuugi's voice trailed off.

"Gomen aibou. I really messed up huh?"

"What? No!" Yuugi looked up. "No, I don't mean that at all. If I had been stronger, I would have told Anzu long ago instead of putting it off for so long."

"What do you mean?"

"I… I've loved you.  Since the day I met you, all those years ago, Mou hitori no boku."

"Aibou…"

"Yuugi, hurry up," Jounouchi called from the door.

"Hai Jounouchi."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Man Yuugi, I don't know if you or Mou hitori no Yuugi is… harsher." Jounouchi hissed, rubbing his fingers.

"Aww Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi muttered. "Gomen ne. You want me to go easier on you next time?"

"Hell no! It'll demolish my pride!"

"Jounouchi has pride?"

"Shut up Anzu."

"Aww, our Jounouchi's growing up, Anzu."

"Your friends are… amusing Aibou."

"Arigotou, Mou hitori no boku."

"My pleasure. They are really nice though. I had a fun week."

"Happy we came?"

"Definitely. I especially loved our night time adventures."

Yuugi blushed. Though he knew his other knew he loved their little snowboarding lessons too at night.

At night for the past week, Yuugi had been taking his other to the mountains to teach him how to snowboard. It was one of those skills that Yuugi had thought he had forgotten but the moment his feet touched the board it all came back. Though both boys knew, they had spent way more time 'cuddling' then skating, but the other was a fast learner, and by the end of the week. He had surprisingly picked up the skill and was almost as good as Yuugi was.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

School soon started, and just as they were getting back into studious mode. Their junior year came and gone. Soon they were all entering their senior year, and just like the years past. All of Yuugi and his friends were in the same class, even Bakura. And just like before, Bakura was still the quiet boy who sat in the back of the classroom.  The last to be picked for any school project.

"Why you go and invite Bakura in our group for, Yuugi?" Jounouchi hissed, eyeing the albino strangely. "I told you. There's something strange about him."

"He's always picked last."

"Yeah I know, and I'm sure there's a reason why too."

"I used to be picked last too," Yuugi muttered hurt.

"Yuugi… I… Yeah you're right. We should have invited Bakura to be in our group sooner."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Whoa Bakura! You have a huge house!" Jounouchi gasped, and Jounouchi's words were true. Bakura's house was enormous. It was a three bedroom house.

"Yeah I guess," Bakura muttered sheepishly. He rubbed his knuckles as he led Yuugi and his friend inside.

"Be careful Aibou. I sense something foul in this room."

"You and Jounouchi-kun." Yuugi shook his head. "Give Bakura-kun a chance. He's nice."

"Aibou," the other muttered.

"Onegai." Yuugi muttered.

"Aibou…" the other nodded. He knew why his aibou believed so much in Bakura.  In a way, Bakura was just like Yuugi was years ago before he came into his life. Though, no matter how much his aibou believed in Bakura, there was something about this boy.  That just wasn't right.

"Whoa! RPG game!" Yuugi gasped. He slipped off his shoes.  There sitting in living room was a real RPG game board.

"Yeah," Bakura muttered. His eyes looked downcast.

"What's RPG?" Jounouchi questioned. His brow furrowed, but Yuugi didn't respond. He immediately ran up to the game board, intrigued.

"Wow! You're so lucky Bakura-kun. I can't believe you have a real RPG game board. I've always wanted one, but Jii-chan always said no. He says it's too much trouble since it's so big and everything."

"What's RPG?"

"If you must know, inu. RPG is short for role playing game. It's one of those American games that kids play with. It never picked up in Japan."

"It's Monster World! Wow! Those are soo rare!" Yuugi gasped. He ran his hand though the board, sighing deeply. "Which worlds do you have?"

"All of them," Bakura muttered. He stepped up to Yuugi.

"All of them!" Yuugi's eyes widened. "So lucky! Can we play sometime!"

"Err…"

"Yuugi! We have a project to do that has nothing to do with Monster World."

"Aww."

"Aibou."

"Huh?"

"There's… never mind. Anzu's right. Don't you have a project to do?"

"You and Anzu. I don't know which one of you guys are worse."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Knock! Knock!

"Coming," Yuugi called. He paused the movie that he and his love had been watching. He heard the sigh of his love as he ran to get the door.

"I'm going to sleep for a while if you don't mind, Aibou. I suddenly feel really tired."

"Oh no." Yuugi nodded. He had been worried about his love for a while since he didn't seem to sleep very much, and eating was simply out of the question.

Upon opening the door, a small gasp left Yuugi's lips. There standing out his door was a drenched Bakura. He was covered in water. His face looked badly cut up. His arms looked bruised, and a deep cut ran along his chest. He was also bleeding perfusively. "Bakura-kun! Kami! Are you okay!"

"Yuu-gi." Bakura's eyes clouded over as he fell on to Yuugi's body.

"Bakura-kun!" It wasn't till he felt Bakura's light breaths that tickled the side of his neck that he knew. Bakura wasn't dead. He had simply passed out.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

A pair of dulled over eyes opened. The young boy groaned.  Softly he rose. Only to feel as if a thousand swords had slashed through his body. He promptly fell backwards.

"Ohayo Bakura-kun!" He looked up, surprised. There was … Yuugi… by the door. In the boy's hand was a tray of steaming hot food.

"Yuugi-kun? What! Where am I?"

"You're at my house. Remember?  You collapsed on my doorway last night. You looked really messed up."

"Ooo." Bakura's eyes widened. Suddenly the night before events came crashing back. He remembered.  He remembered panicking then fleeing. He remembered going to Yuugi's house.  The one person, he… he could trust. Bakura looked down at his hands and noticed they were bandaged.

"I made some breakfast." Yuugi added. A smile adored his face as he sat it down in front of the other boy. Bakura cocked his head looking down at the tray before looking up.

"I…"

"Eat." Yuugi commanded stuffing the pair of chopsticks into Bakura's hands. "If I have to, I'll feed you." The boy threatened, causing Bakura to immediately move towards the bowl of rice. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was till his lips first touched the rice.

Ten minutes later, Bakura sat the empty bowl down. "That was really good. Your parents…"

"My parents are died," Yuugi stated plainly, catching himself in surprised. He hadn't realized how easily he said that until he did. "They died on my sixteenth birthday. I… I live with my jii-chan now, but he's not here right now. He's on some research thing with his best friend Hopkins-san."

"I'm sorry Yuugi-kun."

Yuugi nodded. He sat down beside Bakura, and this time finally in three years since he talked about his parents. This time he finally didn't shred a tear, yet deep inside he felt his heart cracking. Even now, he missed his parents.  He missed them dearly.

"It's okay. I've gotten used to it."

"Yeah, me too." Bakura commented. He sat the tray of food on Yuugi's desk.

"Uh?"

"My parents, I don't live with them either."

"B… but your house! It's so big."

"Yeah, I know. My otousan's really rich. He's a museum director. He owns Domino Museum, but he's away all the time.  It drove Okaasan insane. She…she's in a 'home' now. I have a little sister, but she lives with my grandparents though."

"O…" Yuugi muttered. "I…I didn't know."

"I… I never told anybody that before. I… I feel like I can really trust you Yuugi-kun."

"Really!"

"Yeah. I… I guess it's cause. We have a lot in common."

"Yeah. Bakura-kun."

"Hmm."

"You want to be friends?"

"Really! I've never had a friend before."

"Uh huh."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Yawn! Mou hitori no boku opened his eyes. He was still dazed and still unbelievably tired. He gently rubbed his eyes only then did he realize. His aibou was sitting in some restaurant with… Bakura!

Bakura stiffened. "Yuugi-kun. I… I got to go."

"Let's hang out some other time."

"Err, I got to go." Bakura quickly pulled out a few bills, threw them on the table before running off. Yuugi furrowed his brow, confused.

"Aibou."

"Oh, Mou hitori no boku." Yuugi sighed as he felt his love wrap his hands around his chest. "I wonder what happened with Bakura-kun. He's really nice."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We spent the day together. He's… really funny."

"You did Aibou?"

"Uh huh." Yuugi's eyes were still distant. The other looked at his love, a little worried.

"Aibou, you okay?"

"Huh? Oo… yeah." Yuugi added startled. "Oh yeah. Did you have a nice rest?"

"Yeah. It was really refreshing. I really needed that one."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Slowly much to everyone's delight, spring became summer. The weather finally became hot enough and with the seasons. The seniors of Domino knew that college entrance exams were slowly upon them. The daunting, strenuous exams were not only on the students' but the teachers' minds too. Suddenly it seemed to Yuugi that he was slowly running out of time. Homework and housework seemed to have consumed his daily life. Not only did have a pile of homework that seemed to be never ending, but his jii-chan seemed to be away more and more. Thus he was put in charge of not only managing the shop but transferring phone calls to his jii-chan. Then there was the matter of making sure their house was still livable as in cleaning every Sunday, paying the bills, cooking, and buying food.

Then he had his love who lately seemed to be more and more restless. Mou hitori no boku didn't like being forgotten and not being one of Yuugi's top priorities. Thus it was really starting to get to the young man. More than once, he had volunteered "you sure you don't want me to mind crush your teachers?" And like always Yuugi's answer would be "iie!"

Then there was his friends, they like Yuugi had homework to do, and for Kaiba. Well, Kaiba was Kaiba, but even he seemed to be tired when Saturday finally came. It seemed that like Yuugi balancing work and school work wasn't all that easy even for the young genius.

Then there was a tricky subject… Bakura. Since that day that he ended up in Yuugi's house, unconscious. The two had arranged to meet at a restaurant for one or two hours to discuss… random subjects. Despite his love's pleas to stop the meetings, it was one thing that Yuugi just couldn't agree to.

So finally, after months of hard work, Yuugi decided a group get together was in order.

And everything was going fine. Kaiba and Mou hitori no boku was engaged in a duel while Yuugi watched on amused. Jounouchi was yelling at Honda for some random reason while Anzu was flipping through the channels when… the door bell rang…

And that was when… all hell broke loose.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The door bell rang two hours later. A perplexed Yuugi who had gone downstairs to get some refreshments walked to the door.

"Coming." He opened the door, and there much to his surprise was someone who he never expected to see again. Therewere  three young people, one young woman and two boys one older and the other younger than the woman. The young woman was dressed in a white grown with a white head dress covering her long black strains of hair. The two boys were adored in black leather. The younger looked like a biker while the older had strange tattoo marks covering the left side of his face.

"Isis-san?" Yuugi asked feebly.

The young woman nodded. "I'm happy you remember me. It's been a while."

"Yeah."

"Yuugi!" The young boy turned around. There coming down the stairs were his friends.

"You have company," Jounouchi pointed out.

"Yeah, it's Isis-san… and…"

"My brothers Malik and Rishad."

"Yeah. Come on in."

Malik nodded as Yuugi motioned them into his living room.

"You must wonder why we are here Yuugi."

Yuugi simply nodded.

"I fear that my brothers and I bring foul news to your ears." Isis sighed, rubbing her knuckled before continuing. "You… you remember our meeting nearly two years past ne?" The young boy merely nodded. He cocked his brow confused before falling into a single person sofa. He watched his friends and newly arrived guests do the same.

"You… remember my necklace… the gold one?" Once more, Yuugi nodded. He reached for a glass of fruit pouch and slowly began the process of distributing them among his guests. "I fear my necklace, or its true name the Sennen Tauk ties more closely with your destiny than I once imagined. I… I'm sure by now you have become associated with that boy in your mind." Yuugi felt the glass in his hands slip.  Had it hadn't been for Kaiba's quick reflexes it would have shattered.

"H...how do you know about Mou hitori no boku? H...he told me that nobody in this world save me can see him."

Isis chuckled. "Fair enough. I can not see him. He is right about that."

"Then?"

"Like I said, the Sennen Tauk has powers beyond reprieve. It… was born in Egypt. Thousands of years ago, during the age of the New Kingdom, these items possess magical abilities, abilities that judge the purity and innocence of a person's soul. It is rumored there are seven of these items in all. In my lifetime, I have only seen four of these items, Malik owns one too, the Sennen Rod. Another, Shadi, protects the other two, a scale and an ankh."

"The symbol of rebirth," Yuugi stated simply.

"Correct, I see you are very fluent in Egyptian ideology, Yuugi-san."

"My parents were two very renowned Egyptologist before their passing. I learned much from them when I was little."

Isis nodded, seeing the solemn look in the boy's eyes; she overlooked it, deciding not to press the matter more. "From the Sennen Tauk and our family's other business, my family's blood comes from those of ancient tomb keepers. My great grandfather escaped our family's destiny when he met my great grandmother, but unfortunately Malik, Rishad and I were not as fortunate. Even Italy could not save us, the sennen items paved our futures, our past, and our present. We spent our lives laboring over the items, learning about the age old destiny, waiting for the day when the pharaoh would awaken."

"The pharaoh?"

"Yes, the other you is a pharaoh. A great pharaoh from what I have learned from my studies. He is supposed to have ruled during the New Kingdom, the age of the great pyramids, the age of great peace. The Sennen items were known to bring peace to Egypt, but we all know things in this world do not happen as they should. Something happened doing the pharaoh's reign. He became an accused king, destined to die at an early age."

"B… but he didn't die, obviously." Jounouchi stammered, and Yuugi silently muttered a vow of gratitude to Jounouchi. They were the words that Yuugi could not bring himself to ask.

"That is true. The pharaoh did not die, yet his fate is much worse."

"Worse? What is worse than death?" Anzu rebuked.

"Much, death, in this age, is the worse form of punishment, but thousands of years ago, death was not as feared upon as it is now. Death was seen as a long rest, a chance of rebirth. The dead would be judged by Orisis and Anubis.  Those deemed worthy reached the other realm, paradise. The pharaoh, accursed, has been wandering not in this world or in the other for three millenniums now."

"That's bull! He knows about this world's things though!"

"Yes, I'm glad you brought that up. The pharaoh does indeed understand this modern age from what I have induced from Yuugi, even understands Japanese. But, there is a logical, maybe even sickeningly explanation for such a phenomenon." Isis sighed, glancing at the boy, chosen by destiny. The deeper she bore her eyes into the boy's heart, the more lost she became. The more she tried to read the boy's destiny, the bleaker it became. She recoiled like a lost child.  Her mind returned to her, trembling at the force within the boy. "The pharaoh draws from you Yuugi. He draws on your memories, your experiences, and your lessons in life to live. You are like his host.  He, a parasite."

"He draws from you from the dark realm, surrounded by shadows, by purple fog. That realm is his play area.  Anything he wishes for will appear. You feel comfortable there.  You feel safe there. Slowly, you will begin to forget. You'll give your body over to him. It's a dangerous place Yuugi-kun. I know, for years ago, I too had have ventured into that place. Years ago, I was angry with my life. Years ago, I created a darkness in my heart, a void, that only "he" could fill. You begin to forget about reality; you begin to forget about fantasy. All you know is there, and slowly you grow sleepy. I know Yuugi-kun. I know, and I have to warn you… never… never go there again."

"Stop it!" Yuugi cried, slamming his fist down upon the table. Malik immediately jerked up… startled… as the trance slowly lifted its binds from him. Even now, he ravished on his dark side, now banisheded by the help of Isis and Rishad. "I… I don't know who you are! You think you know everything Isis-san, Malik-kun! You think those stupid Sennen Items, and this little destiny thing of yours is true! Well! I know it's all BS! Everything you have told me! A long time ago, someone told me there is a kingdom in the sky! A long time ago, someone told me there would be a forever.  A long time ago, someone told me the importance of promises! But you know what? They are just childish stories meant to comfort children! I have learned.  Eighteen years of experience has taught me.  The only thing real in this world is friendship and love! Everything else… is BS! You say that Mou hitori no boku is a parasite feeding off of me! But you might not know this… not know this, but I gave it to him! I promised him.  I promised… " Tears fell from Yuugi's amethyst eyes. His throat burned. Slowly he began to cough, hacking.

And Isis sighed… _why must destiny play so hard? Why must fate be so cruel?_

"Yuugi, gomen ne. You are right. I don't know much. I only have my Sennen Tauk, my knowledge. But, today, my knowledge has served me. I will prove to you my case. You know that doll?"

"Doll?" Yuugi's brow furrowed. He slowly collapsed back into his couch, confused.

"Oh! I know what Isis-san means! That doll you showed me a long time ago, the pharaoh doll!" Anzu chirped, regaining her composition. Since winter, that fateful ski trip to Kaiba's lodge when she first met him, slowly she had come to terms with the pains of rejection. A small smile slowly crept upon her lips. Though now, she knew that Yuugi could never be hers, it no longer hurt as much. There are other fish in the sea: just as there are other men in this world. Maybe someday, she would find her own soul mate.

Yuugi's amethyst eyes widened. He was so foolish.

_Of course! He was the Game King._

He felt his body weaken as he reached over for his bag. Slowly he removed each and every book from his bag, drawing out the slow inevitability that he knew.  Someday would have to come to pass. Slowly,, he pulled out an aged old doll.  His best friend in his childhood, the one being in this world that knew all his secrets. The one being that he had nearly given his life away to save. The doll that would never leave him. Yuugi cradled it fondly in his arms, wiping away the small bits of dust that the passage of time had left behind. Its blond bangs were still as glorious as always: its silk skin… as smooth and soft as human skin. Even the doll's eyes still held that hint of that lively spark within, the smile as prominent as the day Yuugi opened that mystical golden box. Even its cap still fluttered in the breeze, its white dress still retained the colorless tone.

"You mean Mou Hitori no Boku!"

A small chuckle left Jounouchi's lips before he immediately turned bright red. "Gomen Yuugi. Seeing that doll! Wow! I still remember throwing it around the room so many years ago."

Yuugi nodded. Not replying as he clasped his arms around the doll more tightly, hugging it. Fearing that it too, like most other things in his life, would leave him.

"Aibou."

"Mou hitori no boku!" Yuugi slowly closed his eyes, falling once more into that dark realm.  The same dark realm that Isis and Malik had just warned him to never venture into again. As he felt his soul slowly leave his body, he faintly heard the panicked cries of Isis and Anzu. "Mou hitori no boku, I…"

The rest of the sentence never left his lips as the other roughly pressed his lips on Yuugi's. "Aibou, Aibou, hold me. Hold me… please." The other pleaded, and Yuugi immediately compelled, roughly. It wasn't everyday that his other cried for his affections, cried to be held. It was usually the reverse, and this time, it scared Yuugi terribly. "I… I don't want to leave you."

"Nor I… koi… nor I."

"Koi?" The other mumbled, a foreign word that he could not comprehend. It wasn't a word that as Isis put it, was stored in Yuugi's memory.

"Love." Yuugi mumbled, tracing his fingers around his other's lips. "Aishiteru Mou hitori no boku. Aishiteru. I… I don't care what they say! I don't care if you are an accursed king! I… I don't care about my soul! I've pledged my body to you many times! Many times! I may not have a body of a king, a god incognito, but I can give you more! I can give you my heart! My love… the essence of me."

"Aibou." The other turned away. His eyes darkened as he let Yuugi go. "I feel them calling you. You better go back. I'm sorry I drew you here. I will never…"

"Mou…" Yuugi started, only to quickly stop, for he knew.  After being with his other for so long, a kiss would suffice. He roughly, savagely covered his love with kisses, and slowly he closed his eyes before returning to reality. When he opened them, his friends were hovering over him as he sat back. The doll still clasped tight in his arms.

"Yuugi." Isis spoke as they returned to their respectful couches. "I… I know you love the namonaki pharaoh. I… I understand that, but I do not think you are thinking… rationally."

"Rational! I… I love him Isis-san! And I don't care! I don't care if he is accursed!" Yuugi rebutted. Tears cascaded down the young boy's cheeks, yet his amethyst eyes still retained its sternness… its beauty.

"Yuugi-kun!" Malik sighed, slipping a slide glance at his sister, now solemn and quiet. He bit his lips, sighed before looking back at Yuugi. "Yuugi-kun. I know you love the namonaki pharaoh. But… don't you think you aren't being fair?"

"Fair?" Yuugi choked. The other too glazed spitefully back at the brother-sister duo. Slowly he dug his fingers into Yuugi's shoulders, pressing his force upon the young.

Malik sighed. "Yes, fair Yuugi-kun. Maybe now… now you think this is the best. Maybe now… he thinks that you two are meant for each other. That destiny has nothing else in store, and maybe… maybe… you are right, Yuugi-kun." Yuugi opened his mouth, but before he could make his rebuttal, the other continued, solemn as always. "But… what if… destiny chose not this path? My sister asked you to take out that doll… because… well…" Malik sighed, unable to continue. He bit his lips though he wished he didn't have to tell Yuugi. He knew the boy had to know even though this part of the prophecy still mystified him. He felt a faint pat upon his arms. Looking up, he saw his sister, solemn and expressionless as always.

_Would she ever get over it?_

"Yuugi, basically… everything I have told you and your friends comes down to this." She sighed, wetting her lips before continuing. "Basically… the namonaki pharaoh – mou hitori no boku- and the doll within your arms… are one."

"NANI!" Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu shouted. Their mouths flew up, even the normally solemn and emotionless Seto could not help but let out a distinctive cough. Yuugi cringed, feeling his other bear down on him. 

_Could his other not know either?_

Yuugi nodded slowly, shyly he looked up.

"I know, Isis-san. I know. I've known for a long time that they are one. When I was little, I used to tell Mou hitori no boku everything about myself. I poured my secrets into him. I felt safe with him. He kept me company when my parents were away in Egypt. I use to dream that Mou hitori no boku was… real, so I could have someone to play with. Someone to share my games with.  I love playing games since I was really little. In my mind, they were the only things that would never leave me, for they couldn't. Then, when I finally met Mou hitori no boku, I started to wane away from the doll form. It was as if a part of him was no longer in the doll. I had the real thing."

As Isis watched Yuugi speak, the young woman couldn't help but sigh. Just as when she had met the boy so long ago at her shop.  Even now she could sense there was something different about this boy. Maybe, he really could save the pharaoh from his accursed soul. "Hai, Yuugi. You are correct. Mou hitori no boku, does indeed reside within the doll. From my inclusive studies, my connection with the Sennen Tauk, I have discovered that in a way, the doll –within your hands- is his prison. Something, drastic now lost in the sands of time had happened to the pharaoh. His accursed blood imprisoned him within the doll. The dark realm as you put it, it is his way of connecting with you. In that world, you two can be one. In that world, you can feed off of each other's energies."

"So," Yuugi spat back. "So… as you put it. Mou hitori no boku's memories are lost in time, forever forgotten. What can we do now? Why are you telling me this?"

"Because… because Yuugi-kun, we have discovered a way, for the namonaki pharaoh to relive his past as you could put it."

"Relive… my past." The other whispered.  His brow furrowed as he looked down at Yuugi. The young boy had returned to his coiled up form upon the couch, limp and unresponsive. Never once, in so many years had the other wondered about who he was. He had simply stopped caring what he was. Whether he was a body-less spirit or simply a forgotten part of Yuugi . But now, now here were people telling him.  He had a past. But more, that he could uncover his lost memories.

"And… and… what will happen when Mou hitori no boku finds his memories?" Yuugi finally squeaked out.

"That is up to the Gods, who control our destines. You must journey to Egypt.  There is a slate of judgment."

"Egypt!" Yuugi's eyes widened.

_Oh the irony!_

For much of his life, he longed to travel to the land of the pharaohs. To walk upon the same soil as the gods walked. To feel the sands of time blow through his cheeks, ruffle his hair. Now, in a cruel twist of fate, if he chose to accept this destiny, he could see Egypt, but quite possibly lose his other to the hands of the Gods.

"Yes, Egypt, the land of the pharaohs, our homeland. There deep in the sands of Egypt, the namonaki pharaoh may find his memories. But Yuugi, chose your destiny carefully, for nine times out of ten, you and the namonaki pharaoh will not end up together. The gods are rarely sincere or caring about human emotions."

The faint sound of Anzu's sobbing in the background. Jounouchi and Honda gasped. Only Kaiba, his arms now wrapped around Jounouchi's body, simply grunted.

"So I have a choice?" Yuugi muttered out, though he knew, he already knew the answer to his question.

"Gomen Yuugi-kun. I… I really didn't know how to tell you this."

"Then why?" Yuugi cried, tears trailing down his cheeks. He rubbed his old doll's cheeks while his other wrapped his arms around Yuugi's body.., pressing himself roughly into his love's shoulder blades. Had the other had a body.   Yuugi's back would have shattered though it mattered not. For now, in Yuugi's mind and heart, he had already died, or… he would rather be dead.

After all, Yuugi and his other knew.  They both knew… that fate was never on their side.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The late summer wind glazed through Domino City. Mutou Yuugi sighed. A light jacket covered his bare arms. His bangs fluttered in the wind. A glazed over look covered his amethyst eyes as he looked far into the horizon. A deafening silence eloped the room. Yuugi rubbed his arms lightly, shifting his legs under his body. The boy sighed, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaled before turning his head. He bit his lips, uncertain on how to approach the subject. There, sitting regal as ever was his other, Mou hitori no boku.

Yuugi drew his breath.  His other looked so hot even when he was deep in thought. "Mou hitori no boku, I…" Yuugi stopped drawing his breath.

_What could he say? What could he do?_

The two hadn't talked since Isis-san and Malik-kun's visit. His other had retreated to the dark realm the moment Isis left. It was only this morning that he had finally reemerged, only to take possession of Yuugi's desk. "I… I…aishiteru mou hitori no boku! I… I told you once.  I… I don't want to lose you. I… I'll give you all my memories.  I'll give my body… my blood… everything I own!" Yuugi shouted.  Tears steamed down his cheeks.

His other immediately looked away as Yuugi stood up.  He bit his lips before running out of the room.

The other sighed, looking down at his hands, so transparent now. "Aibou, gomen ne.  Gomen ne."

Tears steamed down Yuugi's cheeks as he ran out of his grandfather's store. The light flutter of rain hit the hard cement surface, evaporating upon touch. He looked up, alone and scared.  His amethyst eyes blinked.

Yuugi grabbed his arms.  Light hiccups left his lips as he collapsed onto the porch. The overhanging protected him from nature's sorrow as he gazed into the horizon. "Doushite? Doushite?"

While the two young boys, broken by despair and bonded by love, looked into the horizon, for each knew what they had to do,  although neither dared to whisper those vile words. They knew that their love transgressed centuries, millenniums, and even the essence of time.  They were one, forever and always. Yet, they still feared it, feared the separation… the loneliness… feared that it would take another three millenniums to find one another again.

It was that pain that gnarled at their hearts, burning into them the black ashes of despair. But they knew, just as Yuugi wearily stood up, hugging his arms tightly as he walked back into his grandfather's shop and picked up the phone. His fingers shook as he dialed those heinous numbers.  A long mono dial tone followed by the voice of a preppy counter lady.

_How could anybody be so happy now?_

It was a crime… a disgusting crime.

"One ticket to Cairo Egypt please."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow was that hard to write! Not only did I have to incorporate over a year's happenings in one chapter, but as I wrote the happy part I kept seeing the sad part in the horizon. 
> 
> Now that I reflect back on this chapter. Man… it's really choppy huh? Yeah. I think I got lazy and decided to cut out half the dialogue and stuff. Maybe someday I'll write mini fics or something, (side stories) that tell what happened in those scenes. I haven't decided yet, so who knows.
> 
> And finally I have almost reached the climax. The pieces of the puzzle are falling together, and this fic will end soon.


	7. Shinjite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say this chapter was really really hard to write. It was probably a worse challenge than the last one. :sigh: Oh well. It had to be written for the plot the progress. The next chapter will be the last.

"We're going to Egypt," Yuugi muttered meekly.  He looked so exhausted. His other said nothing as he faded away from the realm of the living to his 'dark' realm.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The heat of summer felt intoxicating. He let out a light groan, moaning in the heat. He brushed back his blond bangs. His other hand fidgeted at the duffle bag on his lap. The sound of Domino's crazy Saturday traffic, the hustle and bustle of people wandering around with no aim, no purpose in life. There was a time when he was once part of that mindlessness.  That time seemed so far away now for Yuugi. He wondered if he would ever… be normal again.

The leathery taxi seat rubbed into his flesh. He scratched at an itch on the back of his neck. The taxi rolled on. The cab driver was humming a sixty's song. The windows were rolled down. The hot wind touched his skin.

"Departure or arrival?" the gruff cab driver asked. His voice was deep and booming.

"Departure." Yuugi choked back on his word as Domino Airport came into view. He saw a plane cruise overhead. It seemed like just seconds later he was handing a handful of bills to the cab driver and walking through the sliding doors. The automatic voices filled the room… the monotone computer lady that shouldn't be so happy. The boy drew out his ticket. His memory failed him. He could barely remember where he was going much less which airline he had purchased the ticket from.

"Yuugi!"

Startled, the boy turned around. His eyes widened. "Jounouchi-kun… Honda-kun… Anzu… Kaiba-kun. What… what are you guys doing here?" There standing just a feet from him were his friends. They each had a travel bag in their hands. Kaiba currently had his arms wrapped suggestively around Jounouchi's waist.

"Man Yuugi. What were you thinking leaving us here? I thought we were friends," Jounouchi scolded. He re-positioned Kaiba's arm before walking over to Yuugi.

"We are Jounouchi-kun. That's why I didn't tell you guys. I… I didn't want you guys to worry. It's mine and mou hitori no boku's affairs."

"Man Yuugi. Not worrying us." Jounouchi shook his head. He brushed back a loose bang from Yuugi's forehead. "It is our affairs too. You… no… the both of you guys are our friends, and that makes it all the more our affairs."

"Exactly Yuugi." Anzu added. She lightly drew the boy into a firm grasp.

Yuugi's eyes suddenly grew watery. As he looked up shyly at his friends who now surrounded him, he suddenly knew. He may never be normal again. He may not know how the future would play out, but he did know one thing. He would always have friends. "Arigotou minna."

"To Egypt?" Jounouchi questioned.

Yuugi nodded. He rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, to Egypt."

"Aibou."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The sun was setting upon the land of the kings as the plane carrying the accursed king, Yuugi, and their friends landed on Cairo's landing strip. The trip was a long and tedious one, one that carried them to a land far different from the one they had left behind.

"Aibou."

"Ne, mou hitori no boku?"

"I… arigotou koi."

"Mou hitori no boku, you don't have to thank me. Really you don't," Yuugi muttered. He brushed back his bangs, and lightly shivered in the dark realm… his lover's realm.

"Yes I do, Aibou. Most people wouldn't do what you have done for me… coming to Egypt, so I may learn my past. Most people would have forgotten or brushed aside Isis's words as if it was nothing." The other paused. He bit his lips before looking up at Yuugi's amethyst eyes, brimming with tears. "And I think… I think I would have too if I were in your position."

"Then I guess… I'm just foolish," Yuugi muttered. He said nothing else, and his love understood. The young king simply held the boy… longer than he should have.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Yuugi-kun!"

"Malik-kun, Isis-san," Yuugi acknowledged. He saw the young woman and her kid brother who had changed his life walking towards them.

"Welcome to the Land of the Kings: Yuugi, Namonaki Pharaoh, Seto, Katsuya, Anzu and Hiroto," Isis acknowledge, and each noticed how she called them not by their familiar names but their given names. "My brothers and I are very glad that you have all decided to come. There is much to do before we take you to the ritual site, so the Pharaoh may regain his memories."

Yuugi simply nodded. He rubbed the back of his foot against his other leg, a little uncomfortably. Now, finally reaching Egypt; it all felt so surreal.

And thus the small group of friends followed Isis and Malik out of Cairo's international airport. There waiting outside was Rishad draped in his normal blue cloak. He was standing beside a large jeep that could easily fit them all. As each passed their bags to Rishad to store for the trip to the Nile, Anzu called out. "Matte."

"Ne?" Yuugi asked. He looked up, a little disorientated.

"I… I have something for Mou hitori no Yuugi." Anzu started.  She seemed just as surprised that she herself had spoken up. She dug into her purse and pulled out a small package wrapped in brown paper. Shyly, she placed it in Yuugi's hands. The boy looked up perplexed before understanding. He prepared himself to change places with his love.

"Aibou, no. W… why don't you open the gift for me? I… I feel a little uncomfortable right now."

"Are you okay?" The boy asked… worried, afraid that coming to Egypt was a mistake.

"I guess it's a little startling that this place is actually real. I guess it's strange to be back in a place where you were once known to have ruled… to know that you ruled a real place… not make believe."

"Or… is… it," Yuugi muttered a little embarrassed. "To know… you had a real physical place in this world?"

"Yeah, maybe… Aibou."

Yuugi said nothing more as he opened Anzu's gift. By then they were already situated in the jeep… traveling to the river's edge. There, much to Yuugi's surprise was a small silver necklace. A strange small rectangle piece was attached to its chain. The boy fingered it wordlessly while he felt his other's voice hitch.

"It… it's a cartouche."

"It's a cartouche, Yuugi. I found it at a gift shop in Cairo's airport. It's known to be the keeper of one's name. I… I just thought, since Mou hitori no Yuugi lost his name. Maybe, maybe if he craved it on this… then he'll never forget it again."

"Anzu, arigotou." Yuugi muttered, too stunned to say anything else. Whether it was because his love had recognized what it was, or simply because Anzu had mentioned their goal yet again, to discover the name and memories of his love.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

One hour later they arrived at the Nile. There docked at the harbor was a small ferry. It was big enough to fit them all and give them each a separate bedroom.

"This is the boat that will take us to ritual site. We should be there in four days if the weather allows."

"The irony."

"What is Mou hitori no boku?"

"Taking a ferry to the water's edge, ancient Egyptians used to cart their dead kings in boats and send them off in the Nile. It was said, the Nile lead to the land of Orisis, the God of the Underworld, to be judged by Anubis for worth."

"Mou…"

"Hmm… Aibou?"

"You… you remember. You know!"

The other simply looked away forlorn. "I don't know if it's that aibou. It's just so strange, being back here again. From what Isis said, the land of my birth. Maybe to finally know, I really do belong in this world."

"But you do." Yuugi cried.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The ferry ride to the ritual site was a silent and somber one. Anzu spent the days away from her friends and in the comfort of Isis, for once in a long time she felt the impact of another woman in her life. Something she seemed to have forgotten after she had forsakened her old friends for Yuugi. Kaiba and Jounouchi spent the days in their room… from what their friends expected… in the arms of each other. Honda spent the days with Malik and Rishad, and the others believed engrossed in alcoholic binges.

Only Yuugi felt the days sweeping past him… suffocating him.

"Koi."

"Ne Mou hitori no boku?" Yuugi lazily drew a mock picture on the banister of the boat. He glazed longingly at his love.

"We're almost there."

"Yeah."

"Aibou… I just want to say… thank you."

"Thank you?" Yuugi looked up, confused.

"Yeah. I want to thank you for… opening my heart. Giving me shelter in your body. Giving me your life. Giving me your love… trusting me. Something I know most people would never do. You taught me to love. You taught me to forgive. You taught humanity. I can never… repay you for that. I… I just want to say.  No matter what happens. I will always love you, and if the gods deny us our love in this life time. I swear Aibou.  I swear to the gods, to destiny itself that even if it takes a thousand years.  I will find you again."

"Mou hitori no boku, I… I want you so badly." Tears cascaded down the young boy's amethyst eyes, and slowly they slipped away into that dark realm where the two young lovers ruined by time and events clung to each other desperately.

"And I want you Aibou. I just wish we could be together in your world… in reality…"

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

On the last night of the voyage, the nameless pharaoh had gone to his dark realm early to rest. Yuugi understood his other's feelings, for they had agreed. The last night before they had to face their destiny; they would not sleep together. For they both knew, if they did… they might never want to awake or leave the dark realm.

Yuugi had walked out onto the deck after a light dinner in his room. The desert winds felt refreshing and calm. Suddenly, it felt so right. The sands around him, the pyramids in the distance, and the walls of the Valley of the Kings to his left. He brushed back a piece of his bangs.

"Yuugi."

The young boy turned around… surprised. There stood Jounouchi. The boy looked as if he had been perspiring heavily.

"Jounouchi-kun! I thought you would be with Kaiba-kun."

"Yeah, Seto." The blonde looked far away into the distance before standing next to Yuugi on the deck. "I would have never imagined that Seto and I would ever be together."

"Yeah," Yuugi giggled. "Me either, but now that I look back. How could you guys not have?"

"Yeah," Jounocuhi muttered. "I never imagined our lives to turn out like this, Yuugi. When we were little, and I first met you, Honda, Anzu and Seto, I had a set image for all of us. I always expected that Seto would marry some rich girl, some future movie star from Tokyo. I imagined Honda with some pretty girl who could stand his pride. You and Anzu… an item by now… the most talked about and cutest couple in Domino High. And me, I always thought I would fall for a girl."

Yuugi blushed. "Really, Jounouchi-kun? I never knew I had left such an impression on you when we first."

Even Jounouchi had to blush at that remark, for both boys knew. When they had first met in elementary, they had not been friends.  In fact nobody back then would have ever believed in a decade Yuugi and Jounouchi would ever become friends. Jounouchi was the macho boy. The one, who always got into fights, was part of a gang, and "bullied" people. While Yuugi was the quiet and queer boy, the one who rivaled Kaiba in grades and brains. The boy everyone believed despise sports and would always be picked on.

"Yeah. You really did Yuugi, maybe that's why I always tried to make you into a man."

"I don't think you succeeded very well though Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi muttered.

"Nah, you make a fine man. Like I told you a long time ago, you are Mutou Yuugi, one in a trillion. You may hate fighting, but you have a true heart. You trust everyone even me and Seto. I think that makes a man."

"Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi sighed flexing his wrist, "when did you get so philosophical?"

"Learned from the best."

Yuugi pouted lightly nudging Jounouchi's side before stumping over.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Ne?"

The blond turned and stared at his best friend, and Jounouchi knew. No matter what happened when they arrived at the site the next day. The two of them would always be best of friends. "Surely you're thinking about something. What with the trials by the gods coming up."

Yuugi sighed. He deeply exhaled and began to draw on the rails. "I think I want to pick up art when we get back."

"Waa!"

"Just kidding." Yuugi chuckled. "Mou hitori no boku says I can't draw. I think he's right."

"That's…"

"Mean of him to say?"

"Yeah."

"He's honest. He's always and forever will be honest."

"And arrogant. I know he hates Seto."

"Jounouchi-kun."

"Yuugi you know it's true."

"Fine, bad start I think. Kaiba-kun's great. He's the right person for you."

"Yuugi."

"Well it is true. You two balance each other out."

"Just like you and Mou hitori no Yuugi you know."

Yuugi merely nodded. He brushed back a piece of his blond bangs, staring forlornly into the sea. It was many minutes later that Yuugi finally spoke again. "Jounouchi-kun."

"Ne Yuugi?"

"You're right. I've been thinking. I've been thinking a lot about these last three years, all summer long since Isis-san and Malik-kun told us about… everything. I've been trying to imagine "normality" again. You think life will ever be normal again?"

"Normal?" Jounouchi chuckled. "Since the day we became friends Yuugi. Life has never been normal."

"Yeah…" 

_Since that Christmas… when I first received you Mou hitori no boku… life has never been normal._

"I hope we come out of this…"

"We will Yuugi. We always have, and we have been through a lot."

"Yeah. Yeah… Jounouchi-kun. That's what I want. I want to go back to Domino… all of us together, and… maybe give normality a chance."

Jounouchi laughed. He lightly ruffled Yuugi's tri-colored hair. The shorter boy, suddenly as Jounouchi looked down at his best friend, no longer looked so short. "Yuugi."

"Ne, Jounouchi-kun?" The boy asked. He cocked his head confused.

"Err. Doesn't this feel… familiar?"

"Huh?"

"I don't know Yuugi. Sometimes I wonder. What if we lived in another … time? In a parallel universe."

"Huh?"

"Remember what Isis said about those Sennen items."

"How there are seven of them… theoretically… but many have never been found?"

"Yeah. What if all the items were found... and you had one Yuugi? I wonder how different life would have played out."

Yuugi nodded. Though he had never told anybody, he too wondered. What were the other three sennen items? Who has them? And what purpose do they serve.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

  
As Ra rose to the sky once more, the ferry carrying the forgotten, accursed Pharaoh, his love, and their warriors finally landed at the entry to the shrine of the dead. The walk to the shrine was a quiet and solemn event. No one talked. No one moved out of line. The only sound was the shuffling of feet on the hot Egyptian sand.

It felt like it was high noon before Isis stopped them, and immediately they all knew. There in the sand was a small… narrow passageway shielded by a wooden door. "Welcome to the shrine of the dead.  The entrance to the forgotten memories of the Namonaki Pharaoh. This is where your journey to the unknown begins Yuugi. My brothers and I can not trek any further. We will wait for you outside… and pray that when you emerge your dreams will be a reality."

Yuugi nodded.

"The journey is barred by many trials.. trials that will test you. Some will be painful. Some will require mental strength, others physical, and others will be clouded. All I can bestow upon you are these two items." From her dress Isis drew out a chain of keys… five keys all encased in gold and a strange looking wand. These items will aid you… use them wisely."

Yuugi nodded. As he reached for the items, he felt his lover tense.

"I wish you luck Mutou Yuugi."

Yuugi nodded.  He gulped. He eyed his friends once before starting for the door.

"Matte!" Jounouchi called stopping his friend. He grabbed onto Yuugi's wrist stopping the boy. "I didn't come all this way just to send Yuugi off. I'm going too!"

"Me too!" Anzu chimed in.

"If Inu goes, I go too," Kaiba barked.

"And you can't forget me."

"Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun, Kaiba-kun, Anzu… I." Yuugi bowed his head. "Arigotou minna."

"A group is always better than one. Unity is important in this world. I'm glad you have so many dedicated friends Yuugi-kun."

_So am I, Malik-kun._

"Very well. Then I wish you all the best of luck. May when you return, the namonaki pharaoh's memories will be restored to him."

_I just wish to have Mou hitori no boku back. Please Gods… grant me this wish… my only wish in this lifetime._

"Aibou."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The walk thru the deep underpass was a long and grueling one. As the dark, damp path winded away from the exit, no longer was light penetrable. Luckily at the entrance they had found a torch for each of them… and even more luckily… there was only one path.

"Man… what is this! A maze! It feels like we've been down here for hours."

_It's merely an illusion Jounouchi-kun. Mou hitori no boku's life, it's a long one according to Isis-san and Malik-kun.  3000 years of lost memories and confinement._

"What are those keys for?"

"Huh?" Yuugi looked up cocking his head before he realized that he was still clenching the keys and the wand that Isis had given him.

"What are those keys for?"

Yuugi bit his lips as he slipped the wand into his jacket pocket. Whatever the wand was for, he knew sooner or later he would discover its purpose. As for the keys… they were a different story. There were five of them… each was a different color… red, blue, white, brown, and silver… under each key there was a strange symbol except on the silver key. They looked like symbols of… fire, water, air and earth.

"Strange," Anzu muttered.

"I bet there's a meaning behind each of them."

"Duh… Inu," Kaiba snapped.

"Or a door."

"Huh?" Yuugi looked up seeing his other had projected beside him.

"A door.  The first of many, huh Aibou."

"Yeah."

Yuugi looked back at his friends. "I'm going to bet one of these keys goes with that door."

"Wait." Jounouchi put his hand upon Yuugi's shoulders as the boy walked into the light that illuminated the door.

"Ne?"

"We don't know what's beyond that door. It… it could be anything. Maybe we should form a plan before charging in."

"I'm happy Inu's learned something." Kaiba smirked. "I don't like… any of this. This… running wild in a maze of nothingness. All we have to go by are three not really trained "tomb keepers", some mystical Sennen items, and a pharaoh locked in Mutou's mind. That's… how should I put it… pitiful. A bunch of crazy abracadabra junk."

"Yet, we have no choice Kaiba-kun." Yuugi sighed. "It… it's a risk I'm willing to take. I'm opening the door."

"Yuugi."

Somehow the young boy knew just which key to pick. As he slipped in the brown key, he felt the door slowly swing open on its own accord. His eyes widened. He felt the same reaction from his friends. There in front of them all was a strange room. The floor was a maze of some sort. It suddenly reminded Yuugi strangely of a room in his love's dark realm.

"Return to my realm."

"Who's there!" Kaiba shouted. He pushed Yuugi away and scanned the room with his torch. The room gave off a strange vibe.  One that attracted him.

"Kaiba Seto, what a catch. Yes, I will play with you. If you win, you and your friends can move on. If… you lose… well… haha… you don't want to lose."

"I won't lose!" Kaiba shouted. He stepped forward… amused. "Name your game."

"Chess." The voice snickered.

"My specialty," Kaiba grinned. He licked his lips. A smirk crossed his face.

"Against… your brother."

Kaiba's eyes widened. The room brightened. There standing on the other side of the room… next to a figure draped in black… was…

"Mokuba," Yuugi gasped.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba's eyes widened.

The boy looked up. "Niisama!"

"What is this cruel trick?" Kaiba shouted.

"It's no trick. It's your little brother. Your most precious thing in the world… besides that 'inu' next to you." The voice chuckled.  He pushed Mokuba forward. "Go play with your brother… boy."

"Matte!" Yuugi shouted. He pushed forward. "What happens to Mokuba-kun if Kaiba-kun wins!"

The voice chuckled. "You don't want to know."

Kaiba immediately stumbled.

Yuugi gasped in horror.

"Bastard," Jounouchi stated.

"Kaiba-kun," Yuugi muttered. He looked up at his best friend's love and Mokuba. No, he couldn't.  He couldn't make Kaiba fight his brother for him. Kaiba clenched his fist.

"Play with me, Niisama." Mokuba smiled. "Pawn…" Mokuba raised his hand. Yuugi and his friends stumbled back.  As before them, a life-size chess board appeared.

" _Play with me Niisama." Mokuba giggled. He dragged his brother into the gaming area of the orphanage. The two brothers had been living in the orphanage since that day… that day that their parents died in that dreadful car crash._

" _Mokuba…"_

" _Ne Niisama?" The younger of the two boys stopped and stared into his brother's deep blue eyes._

_Seto knelt down and caressed his brother's black bangs. "I bet you miss Okaasan and Otousan ne?"_

_The younger nodded. tTars slowly appeared in his eyes. He tried to keep himself from crying, but the tears still fell on their own accord. "I do. Niisama.  Will there ever be a day… when I forget them? Forget Okaasan's smile and Otousan's hugs?"_

" _Even if you do, Mokuba. They will always be a part of you. Okaasan and Otousan love us. They want us to be happy. I want us to be happy and together. Mokuba," Seto began._

" _Ne niisama?"_   _Mokuba looked up.  He rubbed his eyes._

" _Remember that man… that came today?"_

" _Kaiba-san?"_

_Seto nodded. "What do you think of him?"_

" _He's mean." Mokuba spat out_

" _He's rich. He can give us a future Mokuba. He can take us away from all this."_

" _And build our amusement park?" Mokuba asked._

" _Yeah."_   _Seto nodded. "I… I want him to adopt us Mokuba."_

_Mokuba's eyes widened. "And… and be our Otousan?"_

_Seto nodded. "But… I need your help Mokuba. Kaiba-san is not a normal man. He's proud. We will have to win our adoption."_

" _How?"_

" _Chess."_

" _Chess!"_   _Mokuba's eyes widened. "You're the best at chess Nisiama! Kaiba-san won't beat you! Nobody can beat you!"_

_Seto grinned. "No, together we are invincible!" He lightly ruffled Mokuba's bangs. "Now how about that game!"_

" _Hai!"_   _Mokuba smiled after all he had the best older brother in the world._

"Invincible," Kaiba muttered. Kaiba looked up. His eye burned brightly. The game had already progressed to mid stage. "You are not my brother!"

"Kaiba-kun."

"Seto?"

The hooded man chuckled. He patted 'Mokuba's' shoulders. "See how your brother treats you? Now that he has his little pet. You are of no use to him."

"Shut up!" Kaiba shouted. "That is not true! Mokuba is my brother! I will care for him always! We are a team. It was together that we destroyed Gozuboro! Without Mokuba I am nothing!"

"How touching," the man snickered. "You will fall to your brother, Kaiba Seto, and with it.  The Namonaki's pharaoh's memories will never be revealed."

Kaiba smirked. He watched his 'brother's' next move.

"Check," Kaiba grinned. He positioned his queen for his final strike.

"Niisama?" The boy looked up. He cocked his head and stared deep into Kaiba's eyes.

"Mo… kuba?" Kaiba looked up. "You are not my brother. He's safe at the mansion. You are a trick… a clone! I win. Checkmate."

The room darkened.

The voice crackled. "You have won… Kaiba, but at what cost? The life of your brother…"

Their eyes widened in horror as the form of Mokuba was suffocated by the darkness. Kaiba's breath hitched. Though he knew that boy was not his brother… seeing the very form of his brother… whither away in pain, the young CEO collapsed onto the ground and let out a horrifying scream. Jounouchi brushed past Yuugi who had never seen Kaiba scream in such a way.  Yuugi looked away. He couldn't bear to witness the defeat of his rival and friend.

_Kaiba's deepest fear…_

_Is the death of his brother…_

_Mokuba… and… and… I… I almost…_

 

_XXXXXXXXXXX_

 

The next door…

It glowed just like the first.

"Go ahead Yuugi. We're ready."

Yuugi nodded and just like before he knew exactly which key this door belong to.

As the door swung door,  a gush of warm air surged out.

"Play my game, Jounouchi."

The blond's eyes widened.

"Jounouchi-kun?" Yuugi asked timidly, for he knew just as Kaiba's fallen image had shaken him; it had shaken Jounouchi more.

"Don't worry, Yuugi. I won't fail. This is my trial."

Yuugi nodded.

"So arrogant Jounouchi. Yes do play my little game." The room brightened. There standing in the center was a cloaked figure. In his hands were two swords. "Fight me Jounouchi."

The blond smirked. He caught the sword easily. "And I will win."

Yuugi, Honda, Anzu and Kaiba watched in awe at Jounouchi's display of sword fighting. Drips of sweat formed below his hair line. Jounouchi hastily brushed it away. He grinned; for once his sword fighting skill was useful. When he was little, he had taken sword fighting lessons from a descendant of a wandering samurai…

" _Okaasan, I hate these lessons! They're boring." Jounouchi grumbled. The young woman, Jounouchi's mother, merely smiled. She fondled with her son's blond bangs smeared with sweat._

" _Niichan katana!"_   _A high pitched voice shouted. A little girl with brunette hair ran across the front lawn immediately attaching herself to her brother's leg. "Katana!" The girl shouted. A wide grin formed across her face. Jounouchi merely grinned._

" _You like my sword Shizuka?"_

" _Hai!"_   _The girl nodded. Her mouth slipped open revealing two missing teeth._

" _See, even Shizuka thinks sword fighting is important, Katsuya." The young mother stated. She lightly peeled her daughter away from her son._

_Young Shizuka grinned broadly. "Niichan's sword is powerful. Niichan protect me!"_

_Jounouchi grinned. He rubbed his nose and picked up the sword he had thrown onto the ground._

" _Jounouchi Katsuya!" The voice in the back barked. It was his sensei._

" _I'm coming Sensei!" Jounouchi shouted. He grinned at Shizuka one more time. "Yes Shizuka, Okaasan. I will learn to sword fight and protect you!"_

"The sword is my weapon! I will win and help Mou hitori no Yuugi get his memories back!" Jounouchi growled. The hooded figure grinned.

"Tsk tsk arrogance is humanity's flaw Jounouchi Katsuya." The figure stepped back, and Jounouchi's sword missed his body. In that instance, he felt a swipe of the sword. It glazed his side… stunning him.

"Inu!"

"Jounouchi-kun!"

The blond looked back covering his blooded shoulder. "I will win!"

"Just like last time Jounouchi?" The figure chuckled. Jounouchi's eye widened.

_Like last time…_

The time he failed in protecting his family…

" _Stop it!"_

_Jounouchi and Shizuka cowered in fear. The young boy covered his sister's ears and shielded her eyes from view. The boy trembled watching as his father beat his mother. His father had been like that for over two months now… since he lost his job. Jounouchi knew that since then his father had been on a drinking binge. At night, under the covers of his bed he heard his father's screams, and his mother's cries. Though never did he think his father would ever harm them. Now, with their money dwindled away, his father had finally struck his mother and harmed Shizuka._

" _Bastard of a woman!_   _Can't you do anything right! You can't even raise our kids!"_

_SLAP!_

_Jounouchi's eyes widened as he watched his mother get flung across the room. Her beaten body crashed into the living room furniture. He hugged Shizuka closer watching as the man… his father advance upon them. Only then as his father reached for Shizuka did Jounouchi understand the meaning of hatred._

_A slit of iron… Jounouchi grabbed his sword lying on the ground and charged._

_All he remembered was his father stopping his attack. Cold iron entering his stomach, darkness, and Shizuka's screams… "Niichan!"_

_One month later his parents divorced, and he was left with his drunkard father due to "laws"._

_Since then he made his own laws._

"Like last time." Jounouchi hunched over. His sword crashed to the ground. The heinous chuckle left  the man's lips. "I… I… will fail… just like last time."

"That's right Jounouchi. You will fail, just like the failure you are."

"Jounouchi-kun! Ganbatte!" Yuugi shouted. He watched in desperation. "Don't believe him! You're not a failure! You're Jounouchi Katsuya! Shizuka wouldn't want to see you like this!"

"Inu! You better win!"

_Shizuka... Yuugi… Seto…_

"Jounouchi if you lose I'll punch you."

_Honda…_

"Jounouchi!"

_Anzu…_

_No… I won't lose!_

"I won't lose!" Jounouchi screamed. He managed to avoid the incoming blade. Enraged and with his right hand, he slammed his sword into the hooded figure.  Just as the sword entered the figure's body, it evaporated into thin air.

"Jounouchi-kun!"

"Inu!"

"Jounouchi!"

The blond turned around. He watched as his blade dissolve into the air before looking up. "Shame it had to disappear. I liked that sword."

"Jounouchi you're hurt!" Yuugi stated worriedly.

"Nah… it's nothing." The blond shrugged it off showing his friend that the blood had already coagulated. "Besides we have to get moving!"

"Hai!"

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The next door just like that last two was illuminated with light. As Yuugi reached for his key, he felt a strong hand upon his own. The boy looked up confused.

"Honda-kun?"

"Yuugi, whatever is beyond that door.  It'll be my fight."

"Honda-kun." The boy looked up and nodded.

Seconds later like before, the door opened. Honda stepped in ahead… confident.

"Another arrogant one… Honda Hiroto. Yes, do play my game."

"And I will win!"

The room illuminated. There in the center of the room was a hooded figure. In his arms was a young girl… dazed.

"Miho!"

"Miho?" Yuugi asked questionably towards Jounouchi.

The blond nodded. "Yeah Miho." Jounouchi smirked. "She was Honda's ex-girlfriend. She moved away before high school."

"Why…"

"Didn't you know her?"

"Yeah."

"She wasn't in our class. Miho was one of my childhood friends too," Anzu commented. "If… if that's Miho…"

"It will hurt…"

"Aibou."

"So many causalities in this sick game… after this… it'll be…"

"Anzu." The pharaoh knew as he watched his Aibou during each of these games.  They tore him apart, and the pharaoh knew deep down. No matter how much he knew Yuugi loved him.  In his heart there was still a buried fragment of his love for Anzu. He would always love the girl who he had dreamt about during his childhood.

Honda screamed, charging at the hooded figure. Quite simply the figure avoided the attacks carrying the dying Miho. He would have to win to save Miho's life.

"Miho…"

" _Miho…"_

_The young girl sobbed into Honda's arms. The young boy cradled his love in his arms._

" _Gomen.  I… I don't want to leave you Hiroto-kun."_

_The boy nodded cradling his girlfriend. "Then… then I'll go with you."_

_Her eyes widened as she sat up. "But your parents they will never… never allow you to."_

_And Honda knew for as desperately as he wanted to protect his love. There was nothing in the world left for him to do. All their years together, he had protected her. She was a frail girl…with a heart condition… and he was her…_

" _My knight in shining armor."_

" _I'm going to miss you Ribbon."_

_The girl nodded. She rubbed her eyes. "I'm going to…"_

" _But you're going to go get well. I have to let you go."_

" _Hiroto-kun, you've always protect me. You've never failed."_

"I've never failed!" Honda shouted. "And I won't now."

"Honda-kun!"

"Honda!"

The room dimmed as Honda landed his punch. They watched like before the figure disappear into darkness. None moved toward the young man. In his arms he cradled Miho. Yuugi knew tears were present in Honda's eyes. He had to turn away when he heard Honda's screams… for he knew. Just like with every other person they had faced so far… they always disappeared into nothingness.

"Aibou."

He felt a strong hand on his shoulder. Yuugi looked up.

"Let's go Yuugi. It's never good to look to the past. You got to win!"

"Hai."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Ahh!"

"Anzu!" Yuugi's eyes widened in horror. He looked over at his friends, Jounouchi, Honda and Kaiba. They too looked worried. Each step they ran down the steps of the never ending tunnel.  Fatigue intertwined them all. Each knew it was a mistake to have separated at the last intersection. Each had hoped that by taking a different route, they could find the end faster and leave this maze of miseries.

Anzu screamed heightened as they turned another corner.

"Anzu."

"Aibou…"

"Onegai, Mou hitori no boku. Please… don't say anything."

"Aibou… if…" Yet the young pharaoh knew he had no way of controlling any of this.  He knew, just as they all knew. None knew that this would happen.  None knew just how much the other would lose in this game of fate.

The tunnel brightened just like the last three times, and with it Anzu's screams heightened. There at the end of tunnel was a door. 

 _Typical._  

 _Anzu hang on._  

Yuugi fumbled with the five keys that Isis had given him. Three were already used, and Yuugi immediately knew.  The one engraved with the "wind" belonged to this door. As the cold metal key touched the lock, the door immediately swung open. There, the boys' eyes widened. There within the room, a young nude man was hovering over Anzu.

With the way he was positioned, the boys already knew. They knew why Anzu had been screaming, and why her screams had suddenly stopped.

Yuugi felt his tears threatening to escape. Of all the trials they had gone through.  This was the worst.

"Anzu!" Words that Yuugi himself wanted to scream as he turned his head.  He saw a blur, a blond blur. 

_Jounouchi-kun!_

"Get your sick body away from her!" Jounouchi screamed. The young man turned. His face covered with blood, a sickening grin.

"You are too late!" The man crackled, in a matter of seconds his body disappeared into thin air.  Seconds before Jounouchi landed his punch.

"Anzu!" Yuugi shouted running up to the young girl… his childhood crush. Yuugi collapsed beside Anzu. For he looked down at her body, it was no longer unblemished and untouched. Red rashes ran the sides of her body.  Her legs were sparred out… sickening clear pus covered them mixed with blood. Her budding breasts were bruised. Feeling ashamed Yuugi looked away, and he knew his friends felt the same way.

"Aibou," the young pharaoh's voice cut into the atmosphere. "Give her some dignity. We can't leave her like this. You know as I do.  This game isn't over. You have the…"

"Stop it Mou hitori no boku. Stop it! I hate this! I hate this! I thought playing this game would be the right thing to do.  I thought no one would get hurt. But… but… now… look at Anzu! She… she's made the ultimate sacrifice for us!"

"I don't want to…" Yuugi choked back his tears.

"Yuugi… " Anzu moaned, cutting the young boy off. Anzu groaned.  She blinked her eyes and lightly raised her hands to Yuugi's cheeks. "You foolish, foolish little boy, you still want to be the lone hero? Always so gallant and proud. Always trying to protect everyone else. You've always been like that… ever since we were little. When your parents and grandfather left, you held your head up high. Everyone thought you were weak even then, but no… you're not. Deep down I knew, you would make a great hero. With one flaw… one terrible flaw. You're like Mou hitori no Yuugi. You want to be brave, independent and strong."

Yuugi looked away. He left his tears fall down his cheeks. Anzu lightly ran her hand over his cheeks. "No Yuugi… please don't. I'm not sad that I lost my virginity… especially… not for you. I told you once Yuugi. I love you, and I always will. I know you love Mou hitori no Yuugi. And I can never give my gift to you.  At least… this way… in a way I have."

"Anzu." Yuugi muttered. "Arigotou."

Anzu nodded.

"Then let's get out of here… and find Mou hitori no Yuugi's memories!"

Yuugi nodded, yet the burden on his shoulders increased, for he knew. His friends' trials were over. There was nothing left that they could do for him. Just like how the last key was engraved with nothing.  Yuugi knew. Just as how he had been the one to accept the accursed Pharaoh's love; it would be his duty to retrieve his lover's memories for him. The last trial was his… and his alone.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The five teens… now bloodied and tired… each with a little less hope and innocence left in their eyes. They had officially seen death, fear, and decay.  Their worlds were forever shattered.

Soon, the tunnel brightened and each knew especially Yuugi. It was his turn. His friends had done more for him than he could probably ever repay them for. Now as they neared the last door, Yuugi finally began to tremble. The silver key… with no stigma engraved on it… the four natural symbols… fire, water, air and earth had all been used. So what could be the last… "birth, growth, experience and unity… the four stages of life… what was the last?" Yuugi eyed his love warily as he neared the last door.

As he reached for his ring of keys one last time… Yuugi hesitated before looking back. "Minna, you guys don't have to come if you don't want to. I… I don't want to be responsible in case I…"

"Yuugi, you won't fail."

"Yeah, seriously Yuugi. Just believe in yourself man."

"Thanks." Yuugi's eyes teared over. He gripped the key firmly before sticking it into the keyhole. With a light pop, the door swung open… revealing a… stadium. The five friends' eyes widened as they walked into the room. It was a stadium, an ancient battle arena, and all that seemed to be missing was the cheering fans.

"Welcome Yuugi!" A voice boomed though the stadium. Immediately their bodies tensed. "I'm surprised you made it this far. I can't believe you defeated all my minions, but then again… what else could I have expected from the Game King, yuugiou… child prodigy… the vessel of an accursed king?"

"Who's there!" Jounouchi shouted.  He tightened his grip on Yuugi's shoulder.

A crackle was heard around the stadium. "Jounouchi Katsuya… son of a drunk, parents divorced, one sister nearly blind, been working since you were 10, and boyfriend of Kaiba. Kaiba Seto, orphaned at a young age, one little brother, CEO of Kaiba Corp – gaming industry- genius, and lover of Jounouchi. Honda Hiroto, one older sister, estranged from parents, a dog, and boyfriend to Jounouchi's sister. Mazaki Anzu daughter of two prosperous business men and women, feels alone, and in love with Yuugi. Mutou Yuugi, orphaned, lives with grandfather whose never there, heart problems, prodigy at games, and vessel of a king. Mou hitori no boku or Yuugi, the accused king who lost his memories… lover of Yuugi… and the purpose of this game. Did I miss anything?"

Jounouchi grunted.

"Easy Inu. I know this type of person. He just wants to psyche us out… nothing more."

"Typical Kaiba."

"Who are you?" Yuugi shouted… aggravated and annoyed.

"Who am I? Surely you must know by now. You've been to my home even." Yuugi's eyes widened. Suddenly he knew why the voice sounded so familiar.

"No… it can't be." Yuugi muttered.

Another crackle.

"Bakura-kun?" Yuugi muttered.

"Bingo." The lights brightened… and there standing confidently with a smirk on his face was none other than Bakura Ryou.

"Bakura-kun, what are you doing here?"

"Yeah explain everything."

"What's so hard to believe? That… cute, innocent Bakura that you all know.  Isn't really all that… innocent?"

"Aibou."

"No!" Yuugi shook his head.  It couldn't be.  He didn't want to believe it. 

_Why is Bakura-kun the last enemy! Why do I have to fight him? I can't fight him… not my friend._

"No! You aren't Bakura-kun! Bakura-kun's not like this! He hates fighting! He wouldn't.  He would never do this!" Yuugi shouted. He felt his whole body begin to tremble.  Subconsciously he gripped the wand Isis had given him. And faintly… none but the nameless pharaoh had noticed.  A strange light was beginning to emit from the wand and pulsing throughout Yuugi's body.

_Could it be? Could Aibou be…?_

The other smiled. Suddenly, he realized.  Fate loved playing with them.

"Oo… little Yuugi. I'm impressed. You really haven't disappointed me yet, vessel of the accursed king. I'm not Bakura Ryou, or at least not the Bakura you know."

"Then who are you!"

"The last obstacle between you and the stupid king's memories, I too am from the past… the king's past. I, unlike him was not blessed with the gifts of royalty. I set my sights on something greater… far greater. Something known as the Sennen Items."

"Isis-san!"

"And like the 'farrow', I too became imprisoned. And like the 'farrow', your friend Bakura gave me harbor in his body. The poor boy never knew. He never knew or comprehended the extent of the power that he had within himself… much like you, vessel of the king." The albino brushed back a piece of his hair. He smirked, manically. "Yes, I'm sure you understand this game by now. Beat me, and the pharaoh's memories are yours. You see that door?" Yuugi blinked. 

 _Why didn't I notice it earlier?_  

The boy nodded. "Through that door, are the pharaoh's memories… and what the hell… I'm sure those stupid tomb keepers neglected to tell you. You may make a wish… any wish."

Yuugi's eyes widened. 

_I… I can be with Mou hitori no boku. I must win! I will open that door for the both of us._

_Aibou, you have really grown._

"Fine! I will play! What's this game!"

Bakura chuckled. "Oh no. Who said I'm playing against you. Nah, not me… oh no… little Bakura is your opponent." The beast crackled one more time. A blinding black light and seconds later, Yuugi recognized the figure that appeared before him.

"Bakura-kun!"

The young boy opened his eyes. He looked up stunned. "Yuugi-kun! What… what are you doing here?"

"Bakura!"

"Jounouchi, Honda, Kaiba, Anzu!" Bakura's eyes widened.

"Play my little beast! Play against little Yuugi.  It's our destiny... then you can have want you always wanted!"

"No! I… I can't play against Yuugi-kun!"

"It's your destiny. You promised me!"

"Iie!"

Yuugi blinked confused. For he, like his friends could not hear Bakura's internal struggle with his dark self.

"Aibou."

"Huh?"

"I fear. I have discovered Bakura's secret."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What that dark being said is… correct." The pharaoh sighed. He rubbed his brow and tightly enclosed his arms around Yuugi. "He, just like me, lives within Bakura." Yuugi's eyes widened. "Please Aibou. Be careful. I'm not worth this."

Yuugi closed his eyes. He felt tears threatening to escape, yet once he opened him.  His amethyst eyes once innocent now burned with passion. "Iie… you are worth it. Many times over. I will get back your memories, for a person isn't whole without their past, and I will save Bakura-kun from his demons."

"But what about your own demons, Aibou. Seto – losing his brother. Jounouchi – not being strong enough to protect his family. Honda – failure. Anzu – her virginity. Those are their most prized possessions and fears. You state I am your most precious thing now, Aibou, but what about the past? I fear… I fear so much for you koi."

"Bakura-kun! I will save you."

"Yuugi-kun!" The albino looked up stunned. He felt tired and hurt.

"Please, fight him no longer. I'm your… opponent." Yuugi managed to gulp down. He clutched his wand tighter.

"Yuugi-kun."

"Ha! What a fool!"

"I am your opponent. Fight me!"

"Yuugi," Jounouchi hissed. His eyes widened.  As he watched… something he never imagined, never knew would happen. Suddenly he felt his whole world turn over as Yuugi landed a punch. He felt himself spinning, and he knew from the crevice of his mind he had indeed heard Anzu's whimpers. His friends were also stunned.

_Today the world bleeds…_

_Aibou._

_Yuugi._

_Fool! Mortal fool!_

"Yuu…gi." Bakura's body radiated. Yuugi hurriedly covered his eyes. He heard Bakura chanting.  It felt like time and space was being ripped apart.

"Niisan!"

"Darling, my baby."

"Sport."

_No, it can't be._

Yuugi's eyes widened. There standing before him…

"Okaasan, Otousan, Nozomi-chan." Yuugi whispered.

 _Aibou._   _Oh Ra! Oh Horus. Please don't do this to Aibou. Must you challenge him so?_

Yuugi, everything forgotten – the battle, Mou hitori no boku, Bakura-kun, his friends, and reality- ran to his family. "Okaasan!"

"Darling…" Just as Yuugi reached for his mother.  The unthinkable happened. Yuugi felt his heart break. His soul crushed.

Wack!

Yuugi's feeble body flew across the stadium. Bakura or maybe it was the dark Bakura's chuckled. "It's time to die," Akina smirked.

"Yuugi!" Anzu screamed.

"No," Honda shouted pulling her back. He wrapped his arms around the young girl's waist.

"Let me go! Yuugi's hurt!" Anzu shouted.

"No, Honda's right. This is not our fight… nor is it our fears. Yuugi wouldn't want us to intervene just as how we didn't when we conquered our own fears."

"But… but those are his parents!" Anzu shouted... tears covering her eyes, yet she understood what Jounouchi and Honda were saying. She still hated it with a passion… that they were right. She couldn't help her friend. But that didn't mean… 

_Mou hitori no Yuugi… please… protect Yuugi. I love him so dearly, but I understand now… you two are meant for each other. You are one._

"Aibou!" The pharaoh materialized beside Yuugi. He lightly touched the boy as though afraid he would break.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Yuugi looked up. Instead of what the pharaoh had expected, instead of hatred or even surprise.  Yuugi only showed remorse… and sorrow. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry Okaasan, Otousan, Nozomi-chan."

"Aibou." The other watched with surprise while Yuugi stood up. He wavered for a second before standing up straight.

Yuugi clutched the wand tighter… and this time the other knew.  It really was giving out a strange aura. Once more Yuugi ran to his parents, bypassing Bakura who was still chuckling insanely, and just like before his body was blown back.

And the heinous process repeated itself over and over again. Each time the pharaoh knew, Yuugi did nothing to protect himself. He took the beating… as if it was a form of self punishment, but why?

_Why is Aibou sorry? What? No… it couldn't be. Could he… could he think it's his fault his parents and sister died?_

The accursed king felt his heart tear once more as Yuugi's body crashed once more into the room. By now Yuugi looked like a wreck. His body was broken and beaten.

"Aibou!"

"Yuugi!"

The young boy acknowledged neither his lover nor his friends. He feebly stood up clutching the wand. "Okaasama, gomen. Gomen nasai."

"Aibou, please stop! You're killing yourself."

The young boy cocked his head. His forehead already had long thin lines of blood dripping from his temple. He looked tired and broken. "Mou… mou hitori no boku," he muttered. "I… I've been dying a little bit every day since I was little. I thought... I could repent my sins by… being nice, making friends, changing a little bit. I'm going to lose you too now. I know that." Yuugi sighed. "I know that, for you're not the only accursed one here. It's always been my lot in life. I always lose the people I love the most."

"Aibou! Iie! Stop! Stop thinking that! You're not accursed! Those people, they may look like your parents, your sister, but would any parent willingly hurt his or her child? Aibou! Please! Rid your mind of the illusion. Please! It's all a trick by Bakura. He… he's a necromancer."

"A necromancer!"

"Chuckle. I see that the vessel has figured it out."

"Bakura-kun?" Yuugi looked up. His eyes widened as he watched slowly the forms of his parents and sister disappear into thin air only to be replaced by … Duel monsters. "Duel monsters?"

"Yes, what better way to end this game then by dethroning the Duel monsters king, Mutou Yuugi." Bakura chuckled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a wand… much like Yuugi's.

The boy blinked confused. He looked down his own wand, and suddenly… it all made sense. "Black Magician!" Yuugi shouted. The wand in his hands sparked and from it appeared…

"Black Magician," Jounouchi muttered.

"A duel?" Anzu's eyes widened.

"Yes! Yuugi's awesome at duels; Bakura's going to lose!" Jounouchi grinned.

"But… but Yuugi wants to save Bakura, Jounouchi. He…"

"He might throw the duel," Jounouchi immediately quieted down.

"Inu, you both give Yuugi very little credit."

"Huh, Seto?"

"Yuugi is a shin no duelist. He would never throw the duel. He's too proud."

"I… think… Yuugi wants to die."

"What! That's stupid Honda! Yuugi doesn't want to die."

"For once, Inu is right. Yuugi is not suicidal."

"Yet, he loves Mou hitori no Yuugi. You've seen Yuugi. How depressed he's been lately. I bet.  He'll do anything to be with the pharaoh. Even if it means killing himself… and he can save Bakura that way."

"Damn."

_No Honda's wrong. If there is one thing about Yuugi, it's he doesn't break his promises._

" _Man Jounouchi-kun this is hard."_

_The blond grinned.  He nudged his best friend's shoulders cracking into a smile._

" _Fine, fine Jounouchi-kun. I… I guess I'll promise to never… kill myself."_

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Yuugi's breathing became labored. Black Magician had long fallen prey to one of Bakura's monsters. Though life points and the normal rules of Duel Monsters and Magic and Wizards didn't apply to this game… both Yuugi, the nameless pharaoh and Bakura knew. The first one's soul to fall would be the loser.

"Aibou…" the accursed king stated watching his love. Castle Dragon and Black Paladin were both in play.  Both strong monsters in the normal game of duel monsters… but in this game, more magic meant a stronger monster.

"Mou hitori no boku,  I will win your name. I promise you," Yuugi whispered. He cocked his head. His lips turned upward as he stared at his love. The accursed king's eyes widened.

"Aibou…" 

_Y_ _ou have finally surpassed me. Your heart is truer than mine. I won't let you get hurt anymore. You and everyone else… you have battled long and hard for me. It's finally time for me to win back my past._

"No," the king stated. He placed his hand upon his lover's, and strangely for once… Yuugi felt it in this realm. It was a strong masculine hand, semi callous by time and wear. Yuugi's eyes widened.

"Mou… mou hitori no boku… you're solid."

"Iie, Aibou." He shook his head. "I'm not solid. It's your heart. You have taught me true strength. It's something I didn't learn… 3000 years ago. I'm no longer afraid Aibou to face my past. I… we'll will win back my past."

"Mou hitori no boku." Yuugi nodded. His aura glowed. His wand sparked. The once gone Black Magician and Black Magician Girl materialized. "Magic wave!" Yuugi screamed. Tears streamed from his face as he watched Bakura's remaining monsters and soul disappeared.

The albino stumbled… stunned. "I am the duel king. I will not fail." Yuugi shouted. He turned to his love. The pharoh smiled bitterly, and both knew what awaited them. Yuugi slowly stepped back and lightly felt the touch of his friends.

They all watched as the young king faced the fallen Bakura. His body sparked from the dark energy. In the king's hands was the cartouche that Anzu gave him. "It's my past Bakura. I understand these trials now. Birth, growing up, challenges, love… my heart is true now. I won."

The albino groaned. He raised his head. His eyes widened… stunned as the playing field disappeared into a flash of light. The room was suddenly enclosed into a sea of darkness.

Yuugi's eyes widened. He watched as the form of his love was suddenly swallowed by the darkness. "Mou hitori no boku!"

"Mou hitori no Yuugi!"

"Aibou, minna." The king screamed. He felt his head split open. His eyes flashed red… and slowly he saw…

He saw his parents, his friends, his kingdom, his enemies, his destiny… and finally his name…

"Atemu… I am Atemu…"

The king muttered. As he spoke those words, the cartouche glowed vividly.

The king's name enclosed the room, and they all knew.  The nameless king was no longer nameless.

The darkness soon disappeared and in the center… in his pharaoh's apparel… dressed the same as the doll Yuugi received all those years ago… stood Pharaoh Atemu. His face was stern… clasped in his hands was the cartouche engraved with his name.

He slowly turned around. "Aibou… I've won… we've won."

Yuugi nodded. Tears poured from his eyes. "This is the bitterest victory I have ever tasted. It means…sayonara ne?" He asked mechanically.

"Aibou…" He muttered.

Slowly the king reached out as did Yuugi. He broke free from his friends. The two ran to each other.  Their fingers inches apart…

The room went dark…

Atemu's eyes widened…

And finally he remembered…

His love...


	8. Genkaku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter of Kame! O.O I can't believe this fic this finally done neither could I have predicted just how short this last chapter was going to be. Well don't want to give away anything. 
> 
> So enjoy.

A small moan escaped from Yuugi's lips. His body felt tired and broken. Slowly he pulled himself into a half sitting and half laying down position. He blinked, confused. He looked around.   Complete darkness.  There was a faint scent of preservatives.

Yuugi blinked.

Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He was soon able to make out features.  The walls were covered with shelves, and it looked as if each shelf was covered with items.

He raised his hands. The smell of his own dried blood nauseated him. He touched his forehead and immediately felt a long gash that ran along his face. He winced and pulled back his hand.

_Where am I?_

_Mou hitori… iie… Atemu-kun?_

No answer.

For once, in a long time, there was no answer. Yuugi shuddered. He immediately felt a chill. A chill that he thought he would never have to experience again. It was the chill of loneliness, the feeling that another being was no longer harboring his mind. The boy immediately panicked. He stood up and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Atemu-kun!" Yuugi shouted. Desperate, he screamed out his love's name over and over again.

There was no answer. He felt beads of sweat began to form along his hair line.

"Atemu-kun!" Yuugi cried again.

_Atemu-kun._

Yuugi breathed. He closed his eyes praying to find that familiar bridge to his lover's realm – the darkness. He scanned his senses. His breathing slowed, but he couldn't.  He couldn't find that gap. A gap that had always been there when he wanted to either change places with his love, or the two wanted to touch. This time, he couldn't feel it. It was like… there had never been one.

Yuugi opened his eyes.

"Atemu-kun," he mouthed.

A flash of light...

Yuugi stumbled back. There lying inches beside his feet was… Mou hitori no boku. Yuugi reached from him.

His old friend…

Suddenly Yuugi was aware just how old the doll was. Its age suddenly became apparent as was the blood that stained it. Yuugi felt his fingers tremble as he played with the doll's blond bangs.

"Atemu-kun?" Yuugi muttered. "Where are you?"

"Hey boy! What you doing down here?"

Yuugi looked up, startled. He cocked his head.  A beam of light illuminated from the nearby staircase. A young man slowly appeared from the light. His features were smooth. He looked young, yet bags were already forming underneath his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. The man's hair was a deep shade of brown, yet he seemed very familiar. "Ba… Bakura-kun?" Yuugi whispered uneasily.

"Oh." The man's eyes widened. He stopped in his tracks; the flashlight –where the light had been coming from – fell loosely to the side of his body. "You know my son, Bakura Ryou?"

Yuugi nodded. He gulped. "Yeah… we're good friends." Yuugi added hurriedly. He felt the words taint his buds and lips.

Memories of Bakura…

The mere fact that the young boy was a necromancer and was controlled by a thief sent shivers up Yuugi's spine.

The man nodded. "I'm glad my son has friends. I worry about him a lot. He doesn't even know I moved here. We've been distant since his mother and I … separated." The man sighed. "He still can't get over his sister's death. It's been almost five years."

_Bakura … had a sister._

The man continued muttering. "He won't believe it was an accident. Blames he wasn't watching her. It was an instant. She was laughing and playing one second. Next, she was laying dead on the street… a sixteen wheeler."

_Hit and run._

_Necromancer._

The man sighed.

Yuugi looked up and noticed, just like his son. Bakura's father also had that far away look in his eyes. He reminded Yuugi of a lonely, broken man and that caused him to shiver. For no matter what, his past couldn't and hadn't left him. It haunted Yuugi to realize just how similar he and Bakura really were. They both had parents who left them. They both had a dead sister, and both had ancient spirits sharing their bodies.

_So… so what determined their courses in their lives?_

_W_ _ho decided that he would meet the hero and Bakura the demon?_

Yuugi had always wondered what determined his life and fate.

"But you really must leave," the man added. He rubbed the back of his neck with the butt of his flashlight. It cast uneven beams of light onto the ceiling above. "Shutting down the museum for the night."

"Museum?" Yuugi asked confused.

"You okay boy?" The man asked startled. That faraway look vanished from his eyes only to be replaced with one of a concern. Like that old saying… 'once a father always a father'. "This is the Domino Museum."

"Do… mino?"

_I'm home, but how?_

"Yes Domino."

_Wasn't I in… Egypt?_

"Arigotou," Yuugi fumbled. "Gomen. I'm leaving now." He quickly ran out the museum, and just as Bakura's father said. He really was home…back in Domino. The streets, the buildings, and even the air, it was all … Domino.

Yuugi grasped the doll tighter in his arms. In his mind, he kept calling out his lover's name, yet still there was no answer.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Yuugi wasn't sure how long he walked aimlessly around Domino's streets crying out the names of his friends and lover. He circled the park, the school, the train station, game and card shops, arcades, movie theaters and restaurants – all places he spent the last three years with his friends.

Every time there was no reply. The longer he walked. The more he wondered. He just couldn't keep a certain feeling from suffocating him.

_How did he get back home so soon?_

But worse he wondered…

_Am I dreaming? Living in…_

Yuugi closed his eyes. He leaned against a bench in the bus stop. He was filthy, cold and tired.

"Mind if I sit down?" A distant voice asked.

Yuugi merely shook his head. He didn't look up.  Instead he continued playing with Mou hitori no boku's blond bangs.

"Nice doll. Nice weather. Bus will be here soon."

Yuugi blinked. Everything he disagreed with. It was raining. He hated the rain. It rained the day his parents died. It rained the day his grandfather starting spending months at a time away from him. As for the doll, Yuugi wanted the real thing.

"Summer's almost over. Fall is nice… more jobs, more rain, cooler air. Everyone needs it. Rough day kid?"

Yuugi blinked. He bit his lips and turned towards the other. It was a young man, foreign in nature. He had a rough build, around Kaiba's height, and long brown hair. He was dressed strangely too, a long pale gown and golden bands on his arms.

"Hi," Yuugi squeaked. He actually squeaked. He hadn't in years.

"You should cheer up kid. Look at me." Yuugi blinked confused. The young man laughed. "I'm sorry. Just a middle class man trying to give some advice. You look like you need some kid. Perk up."

Yuugi blinked some more, yet this strange person…

_Have I met you somewhere before?_

A blinding flash of light, the squeak of a brake…

Yuugi turned and saw a bus pull up. "There's my ride." The man commented. He stood up and brushed past Yuugi.

"Don't fail."

_Had he…no… that's ridiculous._

Yuugi looked up, but that strange man at already disappeared onto the crowded bus leaving a severely confused Yuugi.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The soft hum of the bus dissolved into the back of Yuugi's mind. He tucked his arms into his pockets and shuffled his feet. The rain still hadn't relented. It was starting to bug the boy. His clothes were starting to get soggy, but he didn't dare go home.

He blinked and let out a yawn before continuing his walk. After a couple of blocks, he would call out one of his friends' names, but by now he was starting to give up hope. Nothing made any sense anymore.

He passed a movie theater, the smaller one that still ran its films by film reel.

It was playing a scary movie. The boy shuddered. His life already left like one. He glanced around as if expecting someone he knew to show up. Slap him a bit and tell him… "you're still in Egypt". That person didn't turn up, and Yuugi wasn't sure if he was disappointed or not.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

He passed Burger World later. Its neon lights were casting a holy glow on him. He was very tempted to go inside and get a burger. But there was another part of him that couldn't help but wonder…

_Would Anzu be there… working one of her late night shifts?_

Yuugi had to catch himself. He knew Anzu had quit ages ago. 'Perverted men, being a waitress… pff… nobody can tie Mazaki Anzu down!'

Yuugi shook his head. He wondered where Anzu was right now. He wondered where all his friends went.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Hours later he reached Domino High.

Yuugi shivered seeing its lights dimmed. All the windows were black. He would be graduating there before the spring… and enter the real world. Yuugi chuckled… 'the real world'. He forgot about that, ever since summer break.  Atemu had consumed his very being.

_Do I have to wonder about the future now?_

" _What do you want to do in life, Yuugi?"_

" _I don't know."_

" _Yuugi!"_

" _I really don't know."_

" _You got to like something.  What about Egypt? You've always like that. You could be an archaeologist."_

" _I guess, Anzu."_

Anzu was always the one who thought about the future. She could never understand that he never looked to the future. Not with his life – doctors always tried predicting how long he would live. He never cared to wonder what he would be doing in 20, or 40 or even 60 years. He used to just say 'I want to be alive'. That scared people.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Yuugi kept walking.

He ended up near the park. They used to come here all the time. He would help Jounouchi with his dueling skills. Sometimes Kaiba would show up. He would always snort when Anzu asked why he wasn't at his company. Kaiba would nudge Jounouchi away before slamming a dueling deck in front of Yuugi. It always annoyed Atemu. They would take turns dueling Kaiba, but the outcome was always the same.

Yuugi sat down at a table… no… 'the table'. A street lamp cast a holy glow upon him. The faint sounds of firefly as they hovered under the lamp. They had a lot of laughs there. Playing games, talking, eating, and just joking around…

Yuugi sniffed back some tears. He rubbed his tears away and sat his doll on the table.

"Mou hitori no boku."

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

He didn't know how long he slept on the table. The rain was still pouring when he awoke to voice… familiar voices. The voices were laughing, happy. Yuugi didn't feel happy. He wondered if he would ever be happy again.

He turned his head scanning the park for the voices.

"Honda-kun!" Yuugi's eyes widened. There, just inches before him was… Honda… with Miho. Yuugi's eyes widened.

_How?_

_And what happened to Shizuka?_

_Didn't Miho move away?_

_J_ _ounouchi-kun said she did._

"Honda-kun," Yuugi shouted again. He picked up his doll and ran to his friend.

Honda turned around, startled. He automatically pulled Miho behind him. "Who's there?"

"Honda-kun? It's me," Yuugi stated. A wide grin formed on his face. Honda blinked, but Yuugi didn't seem to notice. "We got to find Jou…"

Crack!

Yuugi's body flung through the park. He skid across the pavement and into a pile of leaves. His amethyst eyes clouded over… stunned. Life slowly leaked from Yuugi's eyes.

_Honda-kun… punched me._

"Hon… Honda-kun," Yuugi muttered. He looked up. His body dripping wet from the falling rain water.

The thunder cracked through the air.

Spat!

Yuugi looked up. He bit his lips. Honda stood, hovering over him. Yuugi half wished, half prayed Honda was just joking around, or even he that would awake from this nightmare. But reality doesn't play like that.

"Never speak my name again, kid. I don't know who you are, or what you're doing calling me like that. Come Miho." Honda wrapped his arm around Miho and dragged her away. Miho stopped Honda for a second and turned, for a second Yuugi thought he saw someone else in her face. The girl merely shrugged her shoulders and gave Yuugi a strange look.

"Honda-kun?" Yuugi muttered one last time. Darkness veiled his vision.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

"Err."

Yuugi slowly looked his eyes. White washed walls… machines buzzing…dripping liquid.

_Hospital._

He slowly sat up.  

An IV tube was hooked to his wrist. He looked around confused. Only when he felt the raw sting of his cheek did it all come back. Honda… Honda had punched him. But weren't they friends? Hadn't Honda promised him all those years ago?

" _I'll protect you Yuugi! We're friends now!"_

" _Hai!"_

_So why did Honda-kun act like he didn't even know me? And what is Miho doing back? Didn't she move away? And…and what happened to Kaiba-kun, Jounouchi-kun… and…_

"Anzu?" Yuugi mouthed. His amethyst eyes widened. He had turned his face just as a girl… no… Anzu walked passed, but she … she looked.

"Anzu?" Yuugi called again.

He quickly jumped out of bed and pulled the needle from his arm. He barely flinched this time.

The irony…

Needles and pulling them out no longer affected him, the aftermath of staying in hospitals when he was little. He wasn't going to let her get away. No, she might have answers to all his questions. As he walked out of his room, somehow Yuugi seriously doubted that.  In the pit of his stomach he knew something was terribly wrong.

Something… something was very… wrong.

"AHHHH!"

Yuugi's eyes widened. 

_That voice… Anzu!_

He ran faster, scanning the long hallway…

A hallway that he once knew like the back of his hand. In the distant, he saw what made his blood run cold. He gasped. There collapsed on the floor, three nurses and a doctor surrounded her.

His world seemed to end then. Everything he once knew shattered into a billion pieces.

He had… failed…

" _Yuugi I'm scared."_

" _Why?"_

" _About everything."_

_Yuugi blinked. "Why? Shouldn't I be the one afraid? I don't even have anything set, but you… you have a dream. You want to go to America and dance. That's a dream.  Me?  I got nothing. I'll probably live the rest of my life in Domino working in some dead end job."_

" _I know." Anzu twisted the edge of her coffee cup. She looked up and sighed. "It's just that.  I miss… I'm going to miss you. You… you've always protected me. Made me feel safe."_

_Yuugi blushed._

_He twisted a piece of his blond bangs. He blushed and moved his hand over Anzu's. "I swear Anzu. We'll always be friends, and I'll always protect you, no matter the distance. Cause you're my friend."_

He watched his childhood friend scream in agony, on the ground. He watched in horror as blood flowed from her body. He had really failed. He had failed to protect her when she needed him most.

Time stood still then.

Yuugi barely seemed to notice when a young man suddenly appeared by her side. He almost hissed at him. He was… he was well… Prince Charming. He was glorious, honest, strong, and loving. Yuugi's breath hitched as he watched Anzu's face change. She no longer looked scared as that mystery man supported her back and held her hand.

Hell, she even looked at … peace.

As bad as Yuugi felt, he suddenly wondered. He wondered if Anzu had finally found someone replaced him.

_Was he no longer the most important person in her life?_

_Was he no longer her knight errant?_

Yuugi's feet seemed to turn to jelly as he followed the nurses; doctor and young man lead Anzu into a room. He watched outside the door as they leaned her against a bed.

The hours seemed to pass… and soon… the sound of a wailing child.

Anzu and young man were smiling. Yuugi watched on at the happy scene. Anzu's sweat stained hair as she cradled a bundle in her arms. She looks so glorious. The hospital lights radiated her beauty.  A beauty Yuugi had never seen from her before.

He collapsed on the floor, and all he could do was cry. He knew he had no right to. After all, she had told him she loved him and wanted him, but he… he had given it all up of his prince. As he pressed his shoulder blades into the plaster like walls, Yuugi suddenly realized. Everything he had just seen. Once… maybe in another lifetime it could have been his.

Thunder and lightning battled in the skies. The rain continued furiously.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

Yuugi left the hospital later. He wondered if the doctors even realized that they were missing one patient. He didn't bother to check out. His mind was still racing as he trekked down the streets.

_Baby…_

_Anzu…_

_Honda-kun…_

Yuugi felt his head spin uncontrollably.

_Anzu was a mother._

_Honda-kun and Miho… together._

_How?_

_What happened to Egypt…?_ _Isis-san, Malik-kun, Rishad?_

_Where did everybody… everything go?_

He felt his body tremble as he hugged his doll tightly.

The rain continued to drench him, but he seemed to have stopped caring after a while.

_What had happened?_

_Kaiba-kun would know wouldn't he?_

_Yes, Kaiba-kun must know._

Yuugi immediately took off for Kaiba Corp. The one place he was sure Kaiba would be at. Kaiba loved his company almost as much as he loved his brother… and …

"The wedding of the century… Kaiba Seto and Kaito Sakura!"

Yuugi skidded to stop. 

_Kaiba-kun and Sakura?_

_Sakura… Sakura!_

Yuugi eyes widened. He stopped at the store window where the sound at came for. It was an electronics store. Inside ten TVs were blasting the same news.

Yuugi pushed his face closer to the glass and blinked. Before him were shots of Kaiba in a tuxedo and beside him was a beautiful girl. She was as glorious as Jounouchi had described her to be. Yuugi watched in horror.

Kaiba kissing the girl… it… it was wrong.

_No! No! Kaiba-kun loves Jounouchi-kun!_

_He… he would never forsake Jounouchi-kun._

"Kaiba-san, what are your feelings about this wedding?"

Lightning raged the skies. Thunder soon tore it apart.

"It's my duty as a Kaiba. Sakura will make a fine wife for me. Kaiba Corp will life on for many generations."

Yuugi's eyes widened as he watched the interview between Kaiba and a random news reporter. He seemed so arrogant, so different from the Kaiba Yuugi had known. He seemed like the Kaiba of the past. The one without feelings, the one who only cared about beating Yuugi at Duel Monsters.  The one who had nearly forsaken Jounouchi.

"No," Yuugi mumbled.

_It wasn't right._

_It couldn't be right._

Yuugi didn't want to believe it.

_But… why didn't… Mokuba…_

"But why plan your wedding so soon after your brother's death?"

_Death!_

Yuugi's eyes widened. He couldn't bear to listen any longer. He pushed himself away from the glass. His shoulders slumped.

_Mokuba-kun was dead._

_Kaiba-kun had married his cousin._

_No!_

_No!_

_It was wrong, wrong!_

He knew where Kaiba's happiness lied. Kaiba even told him so.

" _Kaiba-kun?"_

" _Oh Yuugi you came."_

" _Of course. We're friends, so why wouldn't I?"_

" _Yeah. Well, I…" Kaiba looked away. Had it been any other day, Yuugi would have laughed, but not today._

" _You need help finding a gift for Jounouchi-kun's birthday tomorrow?"_

_Kaiba still didn't answer. Yuugi merely smiled. He knew in Kaiba's own way; he was thankful._

_They found a gift by the end of the day. Both were exhausted. Kaiba had dropped Yuugi off in front of the shop despite Yuugi's protests._

" _Yuugi, wait!"_

_Yuugi turned holding the slightly ajar door open. "Ne?"_

" _I want to say…" Kaiba looked away. "Arigotou."_

_Yuugi blushed. He knew it took a lot out of Kaiba to say that._

" _I'm glad Inu has friends like you. Thank you Yuugi. He means a lot to me."_

"Iie!" Yuugi screamed. Tears fell from his eyes. He clinched the doll and ran blindly into the distant. Everything was wrong. Nothing was right. His last hope…

"Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi cried. He screamed his best friend's name into the heavens. It sparked with lightning. The rain continued.

His legs carried him to the cemetery. The darkest place in Domino, it was the place where all his loved ones were buried at. Yuugi ran on and on through the many tombs. He didn't stop. He couldn't stop. He hated the cemetery.

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The skies continue to bleed. Lighting ravaged the skies. Thunder tore open the clouds. Rain poured forth.

"Onii-chan."

A girl's voice… a voice Yuugi was very familiar with. He stopped in his tracks. Yuugi's amethyst eyes widened. He peeled forth from behind a sakura tree. There a few centimeters in front of him was a sobbing girl. Her fiery brunette hair covered her eyes. She was kneeling in front of a newly dug grave. Beside the young girl was a middle age woman. She too was crying just not as profoundly as the young girl.

"Come Shizuka. Dry your eyes," the woman stated. She gently pulled her daughter up.

"Shizuka," Yuugi muttered.

He watched Shizuka being dragged away, screaming out 'Onii-chan'. Yuugi felt his stomach roll over. As much he couldn't believe it, as much as he didn't want to believe… he felt his eye dull over. The last of his life force began to vanish.

Slowly he advanced to the grave. He hadn't been noticed till he was there. It was a small grave even the tombstone was simple and cheap. But craved beautifully were the words… 'Jounouchi Katsuya'.

"Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi trembled.

He fell onto his legs. Tears sprang from his eyes. He looked up into the skies, unable to corp. with the pain, unable to believe it.

Jounouchi was died. His best friend was died.

"You promised Jounouchi-kun. We promised each other we would live."

" _Tomorrow's it Yuugi."_

" _Yeah, Jounouchi-kun. Tomorrow's it."_

" _Yuugi."_

" _Ne?"_

" _Promise me again."_

_Yuugi blinked confused. "Promise?"_

" _To live?"_

" _Oh that."_

" _Yeah."_

" _Promise me that too. Promise me that we'll grow old together."_

_Grow old together…_

He couldn't take it anymore. As much as Jounouchi had always claimed that he was the stronger of the two, at that moment… Yuugi didn't want to believe it. He couldn't take it anymore and immediately got up and ran. He ran on and on blindly crashing into tombstones, into tree roots, but he no longer cared. Every time he fell he picked himself up.

There was nothing left.

His friends…

They were gone…

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

He continued to run… run… run.

He ran on blindly. Screaming, crying in pain. His body was drenched in the summer rain. His bangs drooped down below his eyes. In his hand, now soaked along with the boy in the rain and in his own blood was his age old doll… Mou hitori no boku. Yuugi glanceed down at it.

His eyes filled with hatred and remorse.

He stopped running and collapsed.

"You promised! You promised that we would be together forever… and ever! You promised!" Yuugi screamed… digging his nails into the doll's skin.  Like always and forever, the doll had that pitiful smile. It would always have that smile on although it was never happy. As Isis-san had stated, 'the young pharaoh knew no love. When he tried to save Egypt from its greatest darkness, all he could do was give up his body. Banishment was his cruelest fate. He would forever be locked away in the doll… never knowing either life or death.

_So why was he gone now?_

_Why?_

_Hadn't they promised each other that fateful day on the train to Yokohama that they would be together forever… and more?_

_Why… why… was he gone now?_

_Why?_

_Why are promises broken so easily?_

It was a cruel fact that Yuugi had seemed to have forgotten.  Something that he had lived with all his life… lies. Yuugi chuckled insanely. He now understood.

He'd been so foolish.

The last three years, they had been wonderful, priceless years, and it caused had him to forget.

He forgot…

He forgot the pain of lies.

He forgot…

His parents' promises that they loved him and would return for his next birthday… for Christmas. His grandfather's sick promise that they could all be together in that palace in the sky.

So what about people like Bakura?  Necromancers who bought back the dead in its cruelest form … as slaves?

And now as Yuugi gazed down at the doll.  Hatred slowly formed in the pit of his stomach. Tears burned his amethyst eyes. They continued to pour down. Drenching him… blurring his sight… soaking him in front of a nameless grave.

Irony…

Now… now finally…

Everything…

Everyone was gone…

"Gone," Yuugi muttered darkly. "Everything's gone."

_No reason…_

_Gone …_

_Forever…_

_What's the point…?_

_Anymore?_

His heart shattered. He reached into his pocket. Slowly he drew out the blade his grandfather gave to him so many years ago…

His birthday…

His sixteenth…

The day of his parent's death.

He eyed it stupidity…

Fingering the blade.

Thoughts returned to days after his birthday. The day when he had first thought he imagined the young pharaoh.  He had eyed the blade like that then. The day when he had first wanted to kill himself. Now he wondered. 

_Should he have done it then?_

_Then…_

_So that none of this would have happened?_

_Bakura-kun…_

_Isis-san…_

_Malik-kun…_

_Rishad…_

_Honda-kun…_

_Anzu…_

_Kaiba-kun…_

_Jounouchi-kun…_

A bolt of lightening illuminated the earth… illuminating the boy as he raised the knife. It hovered overhead and slowly… slowly tears blurred his vision as he plunged it into the doll's chest.

Yuugi gasped… choking as he fell to the ground.

A mouth full of blood spilled from his lips… and slowly… weakly he looked down.

Half scared and half pleased…

As he drew out the knife drenched in his own blood.

He eyes dimmed…

Slowly he fell. A smile covered his lips. Meekly he rubbed the doll's cheeks.

It was still smiling… that pitiful smile.

He slowly turned his head and looked on at the doll…

His first friend and companion...

_No, no…_

He could never… never be anger with Mou hitori no boku.

"Gomen ne, Atemu-kun. Aishiteru… itsumo…" Yuugi muttered.

He reached for his doll.

The bloodied knife lied beside him.

"I… I have lost."

_Mou hitori no boku…_

His eyes fluttered one last time…

His heart beat one last time…

As the pharaoh always said… in tune with his own.

"Aibou…"

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The wheels of time turned as the age of new beginning begun. The flowers bloomed. The sounds of fledglings awaking from their slumber. The morning dew sparkled in the dawn's light. Early morning traffic could be heard. The streetlights were dimming before going out once more.

Domino had once again awakened from its slumber. A small store on a block was already opened, welcoming new customers. An aged old man, the owner of the shop could be seen humming a small tone. Every now and then school boys and girls would enter and leave his store. Each exiting with a new game of some sort. The elder men could be seen smiling as he stood before the only glass counter in the whole store. A smile played on his lips as he watched potential five star gamers enter and leave his store.

Yet, he knew that some hadn't come to buy games but instead to listen to his stories. Once every day an hour before he closed up his shop he would tell a story of a great duelist who treated his opponents with respect and honor. A gamer who played by the rules and was unbeatable. Each day would be a new story… a new chapter. And he loved telling it because he knew his customers loved it. They loved the story of the legendary duelist.  He could see it in their eyes. There was an all too familiar twinkle in their eyes as they listened to his stories.

As the day drew to a close and when the last lone child would leave his shop for the cold, damp world outside, the elder man's smile would begin to droop. His eyes would begin to lose their twinkle. He would turn over the smiling face with the word 'open' under it to the side with the word 'close'. The lights would go out. And like always, he would stop at the door way and admire the small store he had opened…

What had once been a translating shop of old ruins.

For a second his heart would freeze, and faint tears would twinkle down his violet eyes before warming up once more. He would walk upstairs leaving the unearthly silence that enclosed the room. Only the faint caste of moonlight could penetrate the small shop. A heavenly glow would transgress the walls before setting onto a shelf filled with board games and cards. But at the very top, surrounded by puzzles, two stunning beauties could be seen. They looked almost identical… the older, wiser of the two had its arms wrapped eternally around his younger more naïve and innocent counterpart. A look of tranquility and pure love was forever imprinted on their faces… for nothing… not even the passage of time could separate them now.

Nothing could separate red eyes from his amethyst eyed koi…

**Owari**

(The End!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soo sorry. I know you guys all wanted a happy ending, but this fic has 'angst' as one of its tags for a reason. I knew the day I started this fic that it wouldn't end all that happily. 
> 
> Sorry.
> 
> Well that was the ending. Yep that's the end… hmm I'm not sure now if I actually explained what happened. -.- Although I would love to hear you guys' theories before I reveal what actually happened.
> 
> So, how many of you guys actually predicted that ending? 
> 
> Well, truth to be told when I first came up with the idea for this fic I was going to have Yuugi go insane at the end. 
> 
> Then again… he did in this ending too. Only in the original he was supposed to have been locked up, and everything was supposed to have been an illusion created inside Yuugi's mind, but I thought that might be just a little too cruel.
> 
> In case anybody is curious. I'll translate the titles of each chapter now.
> 
> Chapter 1 Mou hitori no boku = Other me
> 
> Chapter 2 Itsumo = Forever
> 
> Chapter 3 Yuugi = Game
> 
> Chapter 4 Tomodachi = Friends
> 
> Chapter 5 Aishiteru = I love you
> 
> Chapter 6 Yume = Dreams
> 
> Chapter 7 Shinjite = Believe
> 
> Chapter 8 Genkaku = Illusion
> 
> And in case anybody forgot or didn't read my opening note, Kame means turtle. I'm not sure if anyone figured out why this fic was named that. It's very, very figurative since obviously there were no turtles in this whole fic. 
> 
> Okay, let me explain.
> 
> The "turtle" in this fic alluded to both Yuugi and Atemu. At the beginning of the fic, Yuugi was a shy and quiet in a way; he hid in his shell never coming out. As the fic progressed, Yuugi gained courage and love; he left his shell and became brave. 
> 
> Atemu is also like a turtle. The doll that Yuugi carried is his confinement… impeding his movement just like the shell of a turtle. It causes him be weighed down and slow. Okay. I know it's really stupid to tell the truth when I first named this fic. Kame was just supposed to have been the name of the game shop that Sugoroku opened due to Yuugi's love for games. It was supposed to have been Sugoroku's way of grieving over Yuugi's death/insanity, but that plot line somewhere along the way disappeared when I changed the ending, so it didn't mean as much anymore. Oh well. -.- 
> 
> Though Sugoroku did open a game shop in the end of this fic too. I know it's confusing why since I never developed Sugoroku's character. Maybe I'll do a drabble or a one-shot that goes into the depth Sugoroku's emotions of all the times he left Yuugi alone. Then maybe then, it'll make more sense why he opened the game shop.
> 
> Oh yeah, and the tales of the legendary duelists, that was Yuugi's dueling career. I kind of never went into that much depth about what happened during that one year period from Yuugi and Atemu getting together to the end of this fic. Yuugi and Kaiba did compete in duel tournaments. Jounouchi never caught up with their skills, and Yuugi was his only tutor. Yuugi was actually crowed Duel King as both Yuugi and Dark Bakura stated.
> 
> Stay tuned for the sequel and prequel to this fic. They will definitely clear up the mystery of what exactly happened in the last chapter.
> 
> Finally, I would love to thank all my readers and reviewers for sticking with me throughout this! 
> 
> Arigotou minna!


End file.
